Artificial Intelligence is driving an increase in demand for technology professionals rather than reducing hiring, with 86 percent of business leaders planning to expand their tech workforce to scale services and generate new revenue, according to a new report by Randstad.
The report, Tech Talent in Transition: Building the AI-Ready Workforce, found that job postings for entry level technology roles requiring AI skills have increased more than fivefold since the beginning of 2025. Developers with general AI or generative AI (GenAI) skills could earn up to 79 percent more than those with traditional skill sets.
More than half (54 percent) of the organizations surveyed disagreed that AI was replacing junior developers, saying their hiring levels had not declined compared with two years ago.
However, the nature of technology jobs is changing, with employers increasingly prioritizing AI orchestration, governance and risk management skills over traditional IT roles. Job postings for AI orchestration and governance positions increased 121 percent year-on-year in 2025.
In the first half of 2026, vacancies for these roles grew 228 percent compared with 57 percent growth in traditional IT job postings. The report also highlighted a widening gap between demand for AI skills and available talent. While the number of candidates listing AI agent skills on their profiles increased 300 percent, job postings requiring these skills rose by more than 1,300 percent.
“AI’s impact now extends beyond tech, sparking a cross-industry talent race. When comparing H1 2026 with H1 2025, sectors such as Manufacturing (43% tech talent growth), Healthcare & Life Sciences (29%), and Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (25%) are attracting 2–3 times more talent from tech than vice versa,” the report said.
To address the shortage, 63 percent of employees said they were engaging flexible talent, including freelancers, contractors and temporary workers, while 33 percent relied on permanent hiring. Only 3 percent identified internal upskilling as their primary strategy for filing AI skills gaps.
India is emerging as a significant hub for specialized AI roles, accounting for more than 12 percent of global AI management positions and 16 percent of AI risk and compliance roles, the report mentioned.
The report identified AI governance and human capabilities as major areas of talent shortages. Demand for AI risk governance professionals increased 108 percent between July 2025 and 2026, while the available talent pool grew by 69 percent.
It also highlighted a gender gap in emerging AI roles. Women account for 31 percent of professionals listing emerging AI skills, compared with 36 percent of the workforce in traditional technology roles. Men are acquiring AI capabilities at a rate five percentage points higher than women.
“Women’s representation in AI is lower than in traditional tech, with less female participation in upskilling, especially at senior levels. This may stem from access disparities, as our AI & equity research shows men reporting more AI skilling opportunities from employers than women,” the report mentioned.
Randstad’s research was based on 1,100 interviews with senior business and technology decision makers across 11 markets, including India, conducted in August 2026.
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