AI specialists hit pay dirt as talent war rages
technology multinationals, global capability centres (GCCs), and IT companies race to hire the best workers in a constrained labour market, inflating wages, said industry experts.
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Salaries of AI specialists have been outpacing their peers in traditional IT roles by 35-70%, showed data from staffing firm Ciel HR. The ensuing talent war will see their pay premiums surge further by 15-20% over the next 12-18 months as companies compete aggressively in a limited talent pool. The cost impact will be more pronounced on mid-to-senior roles, experts said.
“Every organisation is aggressively building its AI capabilities with generative AI and advanced machine learning becoming critical differentiators,” Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD & CEO at Ciel HR, told ET. “As companies race to establish AI leadership, we anticipate the competition to remain extremely high, potentially even more aggressive than what we have seen in 2024.”
As per industry estimates, AI talent demand is expected to reach 1.3 million by 2027, a twofold rise from the existing pool of 600,000-650,000, even as the AI market itself is forecast to expand at a rate of 25-35%, exacerbating the gap, experts noted.
Meanwhile, AI adoption in the Indian IT sector is reaching 60-65% while 80% of new GCCs in the country are
