Rama Krishna Sangem
The number of Linkedin profiles citing skills in artificial intelligence (AI) has grown 14 times in the last seven years in India, putting the country among the top five in the world with fastest-growing talent for the technology, said the website on August 24, Thursday. At this rate, India will soon become AI talent pool of the world.
The professional networking platform’s first ‘Future of Work: State of Work @ AI’ said India, Singapore, Finland, Ireland and Canada have the fastest rate of AI skills adoption. The skills’ adoption extends beyond technology to a range of industries that include retail, education and financial services.
Over the past year, 43 per cent of the Indian workforce has witnessed AI use increasing in their organisations. This surge has prompted 60 per cent of all workers and 71 per cent of the so-called Generation Z professionals to recognise that acquiring AI skills could improve their career prospects. Two in three Indians said they will learn at least one digital skill in 2023; AI and machine learning are among the top skills they want to learn.
25 countries in AI talent race
The report’s analysis of 25 countries showed that the number of LinkedIn members who added AI skills to their profiles nearly doubled after last year’s launch of ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot that responds to a range of written queries, rising from 7.7 per cent in May-November 2022 to 13 per cent in November 2022-June 2023.
The emphasis on soft skills such as creativity and communications in the age of AI is particularly strong in India, the report said. Around 91 per cent of top executives recognise the increased importance of AI skills, surpassing the global average of 72 per cent. A majority of the Indian workforce agrees with this sentiment as 7 in 10 (69 per cent) professionals believe that soft skills such as creativity and problem solving allow them to bring a fresh perspective to work.
AI for every profession
Software engineer (96 per cent), customer service representative (76 per cent), and salesperson (59 per cent) are the top professions having skills that can be augmented by generative AI. On the other hand, oil field operators (1 per cent), environmental health safety specialists (3 per cent), and nurses (6 per cent) are professions with the least augmentable skills.
Half of India’s top executives aim to upskill or hire for AI talent in 2023. Concurrently, 57 per cent of executives are planning to enhance AI use in their organisations next year.
“As AI shapes the future of work, India recognises the importance of human potential and the pivotal role that soft skills will play to build a world-class workforce of the future. With India’s top executives endorsing the potency of interpersonal skills in the age of AI, we’re entering an era that values more fulfilling, human-centric work,” said Ashutosh Gupta, country manager, LinkedIn India.
