Hiring for artificial intelligence (AI) roles continued to grow in India’s technology sector in June even as overall recruitment in the industry declined. According to Naukri.com’s latest JobSpeak report, hiring for AI-related roles in the IT sector increased by 16 per cent in June compared with the same month last year. During the same period, overall IT hiring fell by 3 per cent.

The report is based on job listings from more than 1.5 lakh companies that use Naukri’s recruitment platform.

The figures suggest that technology companies are becoming more selective about the talent they recruit. While they have slowed hiring in traditional technology roles, they continue to invest in professionals with expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

India’s IT industry, valued at around $315 billion, has faced pressure over the past year as many global clients reduced technology spending because of an uncertain economic environment, reported Reuters citing data from Nakri site. At the same time, rapid advances in AI have forced companies to rethink their business models and invest in new technologies.

Why is AI hiring growing despite slowdown?

Industry experts believe companies now see AI as a strategic priority rather than just another technology. Hitesh Oberoi, Chief Executive Officer of Info Edge, the parent company of Naukri, said, “The divergence is important because it shows where tech companies are still investing. AI is increasingly becoming a core capability area, especially as demand shifts towards more senior and specialised talent”. 

The trend suggests that employers are looking for experienced professionals who can build, deploy and manage AI systems instead of hiring in large numbers for conventional software development roles.

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Many technology companies have also increased investments in AI tools to improve productivity and automate routine work. As a result, demand for engineers, data scientists, machine learning specialists and AI architects has remained strong, the report stated.

What does this mean for India’s IT industry?

In June, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest software exporter, said IT companies are likely to slow recruitment as AI becomes a bigger part of their operations, as per the report. The company also said it expects to move towards a future where the number of AI agents working alongside employees could eventually match its human workforce.

TCS has already reduced its workforce over the past year. In July 2025, the company cut over 12,000 jobs. Its overall employee count also fell by over 23,000 on a net basis during the financial year that ended in March 2026.

The Naukri report also found that AI and machine learning hiring rose by 25 per cent across 14 industries, showing that demand for these skills extends well beyond the technology sector. Among all sectors tracked in the report, insurance and consumer goods recorded the strongest increase in recruitment during June.