THE Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector is poised to surpass 2.3 million job openings by 2027, according to a report on Monday. The report by Bain and Company showed that reskilling and upskilling existing talent is key to meeting the growing demand in the country. It showed that the AI talent pool in India is expected to grow to around 1.2 million, presenting an opportunity to reskill more than 1 million workers. “India has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global AI talent hub. However, by 2027, the job openings in AI are expected to be 1.5-2x of the talent availability. The challenge -- and opportunity -- lies in reskilling and upskilling a significant portion of the existing talent base on emerging technology tools and skillsets,” said Saikat Banerjee, Partner and leader in Bain and Company’s AI, Insights, and Solutions practice in India.

 

Banerjee noted that while “AI talent shortage is a significant challenge, it is not invincible”. “Addressing it requires a fundamental shift in how businesses attract, develop, and retain AI talent. Companies need to move beyond traditional hiring approaches, prioritise continuous upskilling, and foster an innovation-driven ecosystem,” he said. Globally, AI-related job postings have surged by 21 per cent annually since 2019, with compensation growing 11 per cent annually over the same period. Yet the number of qualified candidates has not kept pace, creating a widening talent gap that is slowing AI adoption worldwide. Nearly half (44per cent) of executives cited a lack of in-house AI expertise as a key barrier to implementing generative AI.

 

This talent gap is expected to persist through at least 2027, with itsimpact varying in severity acrossglobal markets. The report predicted that in theUS, one in two AI jobs could beleft unfilled by 2027. In the next two years, AI jobdemand in America could reachup to more than 1.3 million, whilesupply is on track to hit less than645,000 -- implying the need toreskill up to 700,000 workers inthe country. Germany could seethe biggest AI talent gap, witharound 70 per cent of AI jobsunfilled by 2027. With an estimated 62,000 AI professionalsavailable to fill 219,000 job openings in 2027, there is a clearopportunity for reskillingemployees in Germany.