India’s digital economy is entering a hyper-acceleration phase, projected to grow twice as fast as the rest of the economy and account for nearly one-fifth of GDP by FY2030, according to a TeamLease Digital report.
AI Talent Shortage Looms
India’s AI market is forecast to reach USD 28.8 billion by 2025 at a 45 per cent CAGR, but a severe talent gap threatens enterprise adoption. For every 10 open GenAI roles, only one qualified engineer is available, and by 2026, the AI talent shortfall could hit 53 per cent. Cloud computing faces a parallel 55-60 per cent demand-supply mismatch.
Generative AI And MLOps Reset Salary Benchmarks
Within GCCs, Generative AI Engineering and MLOps roles are commanding unprecedented salaries, with senior talent earning Rs 58-60 Lakhs Per Annum (LPA), growing at 18 per cent annually.
Specialised AI skills in demand include Prompt Engineering, LLM Safety & Tuning, AI Orchestration, Agent Design, Simulation Governance, and AI Compliance & Risk Ops.
Cybersecurity and Data Engineering remain foundational, with average salaries projected to climb to Rs 33.5 LPA and Rs 27 LPA respectively by FY2027. At the senior level, cybersecurity experts can earn up to Rs 55 LPA, while data engineers can command Rs 42 LPA. Cloud roles are also on the rise, with senior Cloud Architects drawing as much as Rs 45 LPA.
GCCs Powering Digital Job Creation
GCCs will contribute 22-25 per cent of net new white-collar tech jobs in 2025, generating more than 12 lakh roles by 2027.
Hiring is also expanding beyond metros, with 1.3-1.4 lakh fresh graduates expected to be recruited from Tier-2 and Tier-3 campuses in FY25. Diversity momentum is strong: women make up 40 per cent of the workforce in the top 20 GCCs, 1.5x the industry average.
By 2027, India is expected to host over 2,100 GCCs employing 30 lakh professionals, with 800 new centres opening.
“The rise of GCCs from 2.16 million professionals today to 3 million by 2030, combined with diversity-first hiring, is accelerating innovation at an unprecedented pace. India’s digital economy is projected to grow twice as fast as the country’s overall economy and contribute one-fifth of GDP by 2029-2030, representing a global leadership opportunity, provided we address the 60 per cent talent gap in AI domains and 55-60 per cent demand-supply mismatch in cloud computing remain critical constraints,” said Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital.
IT Services And Product Sector Transformations
In the IT Product & Services sector, Product Management is the fastest-growing skillset, with senior roles expected to reach Rs 42 LPA by FY2027.
Cloud salaries are projected to grow 19 per cent, while Generative AI roles will climb steadily at a 10 per cent CAGR. The sector overall is set to generate USD 300 billion in revenue by FY202-27, supported by national initiatives such as BharatGPT and the IndiaAI Mission.
Digital Growth Beyond Tech
Digital adoption is reshaping non-tech industries as well. BFSI’s digital transformation market is expected to quadruple to USD 419 billion by 2034, healthcare’s health-tech market will touch USD 50 billion by 2033, and India’s semiconductor sector is set to double to USD 108 billion by 2030. However, legacy IT support and systems maintenance roles remain stagnant at Rs 12 LPA, underlining the shift to cloud-native and outsourced models.
City-based Salary Differentials
Metro cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad lead pay scales, with senior AI and Cybersecurity talent earning Rs 45-48 LPA. Tier-1 cities like Pune and Gurgaon show near parity at the mid-level but remain 20-30 per cent lower at the senior level.
Tier-2 cities such as Jaipur, Indore, and Kochi offer 30-40 per cent lower senior salaries, giving companies cost-arbitrage opportunities while fresher pay has achieved parity nationwide. |
