Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future trend — it is the present reality of work. From content creation to coding, hiring to sales forecasting, AI tools are now part of daily workflows across industries.
As companies rapidly adopt automation and data-driven systems, professionals are feeling the pressure to keep up.
According to LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise 2026 report, 38% of Indian job seekers say they feel unprepared for how fast technology is changing job requirements. At the same time, 74% of recruiters in India say it is harder than ever to find qualified talent. The gap is clear — and AI is at the centre of it.
The report highlights five major skill stacks that are shaping hiring trends: AI & Automation, Data & Analytics, IT & Cybersecurity, Business & Growth, and People & Leadership. What stands out is that companies are no longer looking for just technical specialists. They want “skill stackers” — professionals who combine AI fluency with data understanding, operational efficiency and strong collaboration skills.
AI & Automation roles are seeing strong demand, especially in Prompt Engineering, Workflow Automation, LLMOps and AutoML. But AI skills are not limited to tech jobs anymore. Marketing, HR, consulting and sales teams are also expected to use AI tools effectively.
Data roles are also expanding. Skills like querying, data analysis and data storytelling are becoming essential across engineering, IT and even non-tech functions like business development and education.
Cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure jobs are growing as companies scale digital systems. Threat detection, real-time monitoring and IT automation are emerging as critical capabilities.
At the same time, people skills are becoming a major differentiator. Collaboration, stakeholder management and project leadership are now as valuable as technical expertise.
Top emerging jobs linked to these trends include AI Specialist, Data Analyst, Cybersecurity Analyst, Cloud Consultant, Growth Strategist and AI-enabled Project Manager.
