Pharmaceuticals, FMCG, and oil and gas were among the top hiers in niche profiles such as Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain and more. According to temporary staffing experts, the average salary has reached about 20%, up to about 20% since 2023.
“From 2023-2024, technical skills in superniches such as AI, ML, cybersecurity, data science, blockchain have increased significantly, with compensation increasing by 15-20%. This growth has mainly emerged with the limited demand for these professional skills of qualified talent in these areas, and segments such as financial digital future bankers, services, Pharma/Biotech, FMCG, oil and gas, as well as the automation personnel, as well as key adopters of these profiles.
While companies use hybrid models to digitalize their businesses and processes, they not only outsource some of their digital service requirements to IT/ITES companies, but also expand their own technical talent pool, increasing demand for these profiles.
It restructures business strategies for sectors such as pharma, oil and gas, which rely heavily on research and development, across capabilities such as AI, cloud computing, and data analytics.
“While drugs leverage advanced analytics to quickly track biological discoveries and provide personalized medicine, amongst oil and gas, these technologies promote smarter resource exploration and increase operational safety.” For financial institutions, ML is used to detect smarter fraud, while risk management and consumer goods use data science to predict demand and adjust marketing strategies.
The unified factor is the ability to turn huge amounts of data into actionable insights, provide competitive advantages and operational efficiency, and make this niche talent pool attractive across the sector.
“In sectors like automotive, BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing and GCC, we are often at the forefront of recruiting for professional roles and driving demand,” Vij says. “India's GCC functions beyond finances and plays a broader role beyond functions. We now consider companies to be a centre for research and development that requires hire of experienced talent from India.”
In 2025, demand for these profiles is expected to increase, leading to another round of pay raises, but in the 2025 Indian technology industry, there will be 9-10% salary hikes in engineering and finance specialist skills, particularly AI, machine learning and cloud computing. Digital conversion,” says Alug.
