AI engineering job postings in India rose 59.5% year-on-year, outpacing growth in the US, UK, France, and Germany, according to a LinkedIn report released Friday. While Bengaluru and Hyderabad remain the leading metros, demand is spreading into emerging cities such as Vijayawada, which saw hiring increase by 45.5%. Hyderabad recorded a 51% rise, reflecting rapid adoption of AI across industries and organizations of all sizes.
The report highlighted that fast-growing skills among small and medium-sized businesses include AI Agents, AI Productivity, and Azure AI Studio, underscoring demand for applied, execution-focused capabilities. In manufacturing, AI Agents and AI Prompting are emerging as critical skills to strengthen employability, with AI engineering talent expanding fourfold to reach 2% of the workforce in 2025. Large enterprises continue to lead in employing AI talent, while smaller firms are quickly catching up, bridging the gap between experimentation and enterprise-scale adoption.
LinkedIn India Engineering head Malai Lakshmanan said engineers should focus on practical, hands-on skills and integrating AI into everyday workflows. He noted that applied AI skills such as agents and productivity tools are directly tied to real-world deployment, urging professionals to build expertise in AI tools, data, and problem-solving. “Those who can move from experimentation to execution will be best positioned to capture the opportunity,” Lakshmanan added.