New Delhi, Dec 17 India’s technology workforce is entering a decisive new phase, with a surge in AI governance roles, an acceleration in cybersecurity hiring, and a rise of tier‑2 cities as digital talent engines, a report said on Wednesday.
The report from tech solutions provider Randstad said that foundational skills such as Java, Salesforce, and Agile still account for nearly one‑third of IT roles, but demand is surging for AI‑enabled and governance‑focused functions.
Demand for AI and machine learning engineers, data scientists, and AI governance specialists is set to surge in 2026, while cybersecurity is being reshaped by AI-driven threats, it said.
Companies are forced to rebuild security operations, creating new opportunities for forensic analysts, AI security experts, ethical hackers, and incident responders.
"Skills in large language model orchestration, prompt engineering, and human-AI interaction are seeing double-digit growth, ensuring that AI systems remain accurate, secure, and context-aware," the report noted.
"We are witnessing the most profound redefinition of work in a generation.
Organisations today need professionals who can not only build AI systems but also govern and secure them responsibly — balancing innovation with ethics, compliance, and trust, he added.
Randstad highlighted that Assisted AI, Augmented AI, and Autonomous Intelligence AI require distinct expertise, with growing demand for the workforce in prompt engineering and Cloud FinOps.
Cloud FinOps expertise is increasingly sought as companies seek to optimise cloud spending within AI-enabled infrastructures, it noted.
Bengaluru leads the demand for AI talent with 35.88 per cent share, followed by Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai, and tier‑2 cities, including Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Indore, Jaipur, and Kochi, are emerging as specialised talent hubs.
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