RT team
India’s technology sector is projected to require over 1 million engineers with advanced skills in artificial intelligence and related fields within the next 2-3 years, according to the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). However, this demand is unlikely to be met unless significant improvements are made in education and training.
Sangeeta Gupta, NASSCOM’s Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, highlighted the need to reskill more than half of the existing tech workforce to fill roles in AI, big data analytics, and cybersecurity. New graduates will only cover a quarter of these advanced tech positions, she noted.
“Employability is a major challenge and requires ongoing efforts,” Gupta said. “Continuous upskilling is essential in our rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
The tech sector, which employs approximately 5.4 million people, is crucial to India’s economy, contributing around 7.5% to the $3 trillion GDP. However, IT firms like Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. are struggling with a skills mismatch, leaving many positions unfilled. TCS reported 80,000 vacancies due to this gap and has doubled its AI-trained employees. Similarly, Larsen & Toubro Ltd. faces a shortfall of 20,000 engineers in its IT and IT-enabled services unit.
Gupta attributed the skills gap to inadequate practical training in India’s education system, from lower grades through college. NASSCOM predicts the digital talent demand-supply gap will increase from 25% to 29% by 2028.
This issue echoes concerns from economists like former central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan, who warned that poor education could impede India’s growth, especially with over half of the population under 30. The International Labour Organization also reported that higher-educated youth are more likely to be unemployed compared to their less-educated peers.
