AI takes over 37% of entry-level work in India as firms rethink hiring

New Delhi, June 18 -- Artificial intelligence is already carrying out more than a third of entry-level work in India, reshaping hiring priorities, job roles and workforce development strategies as companies increasingly expect employees to work alongside AI systems rather than perform routine tasks themselves, according to a joint study by Cognizant and Pearson.

The report, titled The AI Workforce Pulse: The Adaptability Imperative, found that AI now performs 37% of entry-level tasks in India, higher than the global average of 33%. About 18% of HR leaders surveyed said AI currently handles half or more of entry-level work within their organisations, underscoring the pace at which automation is moving from experimentation to mainstream adoption.

The findings suggest that India is witnessing a faster AI-led transformation of workplace roles than many global markets. Rather than eliminating entry-level jobs, employers are increasingly redesigning them around human-AI collaboration, with employees expected to validate AI outputs, apply judgment and focus on higher-value responsibilities.

Nearly all HR leaders surveyed (96%) said they expect entry-level roles to evolve into positions where employees supervise, manage or work alongside AI systems within the next five years. At the same time, 94% believe AI will create entirely new entry-level roles that do not exist today.

"India is at the forefront of how AI is transforming entry-level work, with organizations already embedding AI into day-to-day operations at scale," said Rajesh Varrier, President - Global Operations and Chairman & Managing Director, Cognizant India.

"We are seeing a fundamental redesign of roles, where early-career talent is expected to work alongside AI and focus on higher-value outcomes," he added.

The shift is also prompting employers to rethink what constitutes job-ready talent. Nearly all respondents (98%) said they are increasing their focus on AI skills even for non-technical roles, while 91% of organisations in India reported placing greater value on AI capabilities among employees outside traditional technology functions.

At the same time, companies are attaching greater importance to human-centric and interdisciplinary skills. About 97% of HR leaders said soft skills such as problem-solving, adaptability and judgment have become more valuable in the AI era. Two-thirds of respondents said they value liberal arts degrees more than before, while 69% indicated that broad, interdisciplinary educational backgrounds are becoming more valuable than narrowly specialised qualifications.

The report also highlights a growing mismatch between demand for AI skills and organisational readiness. More than 90% of HR professionals reported increased employee demand for AI training over the past year, yet 63% of Indian organisations said their learning and development programmes are struggling to keep pace with the rapid changes AI is bringing to workplaces.

Only 54% of organisations globally said they proactively arrange AI upskilling programmes in anticipation of future role changes, suggesting that many companies remain reactive rather than strategic in workforce planning.

Despite these challenges, India appears to be making comparatively stronger investments in workforce preparation. The study found that 63% of organisations in India have dedicated time for AI training, compared with 49% in the United States. However, 61% of Indian organisations also reported difficulties in finding talent with the right skills as AI-related job requirements continue to evolve.

The survey identified middle managers as a critical link in successful AI adoption. Around 95% of HR leaders said middle managers are essential for ensuring employees use AI effectively, while 92% said they play a key role in redefining jobs and workflows as AI changes day-to-day operations.

"AI is reshaping the talent landscape and exposing the limits of traditional talent and learning models," said Kathy Diaz, Chief People Officer at Cognizant. "With the fundamental shift in entry-level tasks and skill requirements changing rapidly, organizations must rethink how they hire and develop talent at pace."

The findings come as AI adoption spreads well beyond software development and engineering teams. According to Scaler's India AI Workforce Report 2026, nearly 25% of AI learners now come from non-technical backgrounds, while almost half of AI-enabled career outcomes are emerging outside traditional engineering roles, including consulting, human resources, marketing, finance and leadership functions.

The Scaler report also found that one in five AI learners comes from Tier-II cities, highlighting the growing democratisation of AI talent across the country. Bengaluru remains India's largest AI talent hub, accounting for 19% of all AI learners.

For employers, the combined findings point to a labour market undergoing structural change. As AI takes over routine work and creates new categories of jobs, demand is increasingly shifting toward workers who can combine domain expertise, human judgment and AI fluency. With more professionals from non-technical backgrounds entering the AI talent pool, India's next wave of workforce transformation may be driven less by coding skills alone and more by the ability to apply AI across business functions and industries.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from TechCircle.