93% of Indian Workers are Excited to Leverage Generative AI in Their Job Roles

Almost 91 percent of organizations in India are considering using generative AI for business use. According to Salesforce survey findings, only 4 out of 10 Indian employees currently utilize artificial intelligence (AI) skills, despite its recognition as one of the most in-demand digital skills today.

According to the survey, an overwhelming 89% of Indian workers believe that experience based on skills holds more significance than a traditional degree or industry-specific qualification when seeking employment in the current job market.

However, a significant disparity exists between the skills demanded by companies and those currently possessed by the workforce. While 90% of Indian workers report using digital skills in their daily work, only 25% are utilizing AI skills in their roles, and just over half (52%) are employing skills beyond digital administration.

Fortunately, there is a positive outlook regarding the potential of emerging technologies to transform future job prospects. Coupled with the workers’ expressed desire to acquire new skills, this suggests that companies can bridge the digital skills gap by providing continuous, skills-based training to their employees.

Both leaders and employees concur on the importance of AI skills. With the emergence of technologies like generative AI, 93% of Indian workers express excitement about the prospect of leveraging generative AI in their job roles. Moreover, 91% of respondents state that their companies are exploring ways to incorporate generative AI.

When asked about the significance of AI skills, nearly one-third of workers (29%) rank them among the top three most important digital skills today, with the importance of these skills expected to increase over the next five years.

Despite the growing importance of AI skills, only 40% of Indian workers claim that their current roles involve AI. Furthermore, a mere 34% state that their positions require other related digital skills such as encryption and cybersecurity, and only 27% utilize coding and app development skills.

The travel and tourism industry exhibits the highest utilization of AI skills, with 67% of workers in this sector incorporating AI into their daily roles. However, outside of travel and tourism, the adoption rate drops significantly, with only 21% in the public sector and 25% in healthcare reporting the use of AI skills.

The path forward lies in upskilling. All surveyed Indian workers believe that businesses should prioritize AI skills in their employee development strategies.

In response to the rise of AI and automation, Indian employees anticipate a growing need for data security, ethical AI, and automation skills in the workplace. Consequently, employees consider “soft” skills such as customer relationship management and creativity to be increasingly important.

With workers eager to expand their digital skill sets, they now favor companies that emphasize emerging technology skills and prioritize skills-based hiring. A staggering 90% of respondents believe that businesses should focus on developing digital skills in their employees.

The shift toward skills-based hiring is a global phenomenon. The survey reveals that 82% of people leaders worldwide consider skills to be the most important attribute when evaluating candidates, with only 18% prioritizing relevant degrees or industry-specific qualifications.

Furthermore, the majority of global people leaders (98%) believe that skills-based hiring brings substantial business benefits. Talent retention (56%), increased workforce diversity (48%), and knowledge sharing (46%) were cited as key advantages.

Moreover, most people leaders globally anticipate that prioritizing employees’ digital skills development will positively impact overall business performance, leading to increased productivity (47%), better team performance (43%), and improved problem-solving capabilities (40%).