India grappling with a dearth of agentic AI experts
India is facing a severe shortage of agentic AI professionals, as companies move beyond basic chatbots to develop intelligent agents that can solve complex business problems and support decision-making.There are currently fewer than 100,000 such professionals in the country, while demand is projected to double to around 200,000 by 2026, according to executives from leading consulting, research and recruitment services firms including BCG, Everest Group, TeamLease, and Adecco.
Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can autonomously make decisions, take actions and adapt to changing environments.Professionals in this field include developers who build the code base, architects who design the AI frameworks, program engineering managers who integrate and deliver solutions as software, and testers to ensure system performance.'Agentic AI can enable tech companies to deliver higher value through a 'service as a software' shift from 'software as a service',' said Ankush Wadhera, managing director and partner of BCG. These agents can enable firms to develop vertical-specific solutions, he added.
At present, only about 40% of the demand for agentic AI talent is being met in the country, according to Karthikeyan Kesavan, director of permanent recruitment at Adecco India. AI architects are the most difficult to get now, he added.
The talent crunch is driving up salaries.An agentic AI expert with 2-5 years of experience commands an average salary of Rs 25 lakh per annum compared to a similarly experienced regular developer's salary of Rs 8 lakh and an AI expert's salary of Rs 13 lakh, experts said.'At mid-senior level, salaries for these roles range from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 2 crore,' said Pranshu Upadhyay, regional director and head of India technology practice at recruitment services firm Michael Page.Only 10–15% of the 650,000 AI professionals in the country have the needed expertise in agentic AI while their demand could reach 150,000-200,000 next year, according to a TeamLease research.
The demand will be 'driven by GCCs, IT firms and startups,' Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, told ET.
Yugal Joshi, partner at research firm Everest Group, said there is a surge in hiring across Big Tech, startups, consulting firms, and IT services providers. Many companies are piloting or deploying agents in the next 1–2 years, he said. Titles like agentic AI architect and AI agent engineer are emerging, Joshi said. 'However, most professionals currently working on AI agents hold broader AI/ML roles, such as AI engineer, AI architect, etc,' he added.The booming demand is powered by a larger industry shift from simple automation to AI agents that can independently execute tasks, and a surge in investments in agentic capabilities across sectors.According to industry body Nasscom, the market for AI agents is projected to grow to $47.1 billion in 2030 from $5.1 billion in 2024.
High-growth segments include autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing, and healthcare, where agentic AI systems can help drive innovation. 'There are conversations around agentic AI building up in India, and companies are keen to understand how the talent landscape is evolving in this space,' said Upadhyay of Michael Page.
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