50 pc Indian tech professionals now getting AI training at work: Report

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Nearly half of technology professionals in India are getting some level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) skilling support from their current employers, according to a report on Monday. The report, based on a survey conducted by job portal Naukri on National Technology Day, highlighted a significant trend in India’s tech ecosystem.

The survey, which gathered insights from over 16,000 technology professionals across industries, shows that while self-learning remains a key pathway, a clear shift toward structured upskilling is visible. The report "signals that AI upskilling has firmly entered the mainstream, From freshers to experienced professionals, the direction is clear: the Indian workforce is leaning into the AI era".

Among freshers, over half of them reported that either some basics have been covered or full-fledged AI training is underway. Cities like Bengaluru and Gurugram, long known as tech hubs, are seeing this shift firsthand. Around one-third of professionals (33 per cent) in these cities confirmed that their organisations are actively training them on AI tools, the report said.

Given the nature of work in the IT/Software Services sector, where tech evolution is part of daily operations, professionals in tech roles here are naturally seeing more structured upskilling opportunities compared to their peers in non-IT sectors. Further, among professionals with 10-15 years of experience, 42 per cent picked GenAI as their top skill focus, rising to 46 per cent among those with over 15 years.

Other core skills like Cloud, DevOps, and Data Engineering also saw steady interest, especially among early-career professionals -- indicating a well-rounded appetite for tech evolution. The survey also stressed the key concerns of tech professionals.

While 18 per cent cited layoffs as their biggest concern -- a larger group pointed to concerns like lack of upskilling time, outdated technology, and low salary hikes. One in five professionals (20 per cent) said they don’t get enough time to upskill. Another 17 per cent cited outdated tech stacks as a key hurdle. A whopping 46 per cent of technology professionals noted low salary hikes as one of their key concerns, the report said.