Beyond Job Loss Hysteria: AI Can Boost Salaries By 53% Across All Roles — Key Takeaways From Naukri Report

The whispers have grown into a roar — is artificial intelligence coming for jobs? This question has gotten both freshers and veterans worried.

From warnings of widespread displacement to optimistic predictions of new opportunities, the narrative around AI's impact on the workforce has taken the outlook of employment by a storm.

On World AI Day, July 16, Indian jobs portal Naukri.com released a survey that cuts through the speculations to say that for Indian jobseekers, AI is more a friend, than a foe. The survey is based on the responses of over 60,000 jobseekers, opinion polls with recruiters, and analysis of thousands of job postings.

Contrary to global anxieties where 75% of US professionals fear job reduction due to AI, and nearly two out of three globally worry about replacement, India presents a contrasting reality. About 86% of Indian jobseekers view AI as an ally, even as 13% of recruiters believe it will cause job losses.

AI jobs don't pay much more is a myth as AI skills can boost salaries by over 53% across all roles, according to the report, offering double-digit pay increases across all experience levels.

Also, it could be a myth that there are not enough real AI jobs as the report claims that there are over 35,000 AI and machine Learning jobs available on Naukri.com across India from April-June 2025.

It could also be a myth that AI roles are only in metros as Tier-2 cities like Indore, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Ahmedabad collectively posted over 1,500 AI jobs in the same period.

Finally, the myth that job loss is AI's biggest bane is also balanced by the report's finding that only one in three people fear job loss due to AI. A greater concern for over 35% is the fear of a lack of creativity.

AI isn't eliminating jobs wholesale; it's reordering the landscape. Naukri's data reveals a 38% year-on-year growth in AI/ML jobs from April-June 2024 to April-June 2025.

Some traditional roles are declining. For instance, front-end developer roles might see a 14% down tick, and system admin may see 11% lower need. But new AI-centric roles are booming, with nearly a 100% surge seen for positions such as machine learning engineer, search engineer and data scientist.

While the IT sector leads in AI/ML job share, AI adoption is penetrating diverse industries like accounting, knowledge process outsourcing, and banking. The business process outsourcing sector, despite fears of job loss, witnessed an impressive 39% year-on-year growth in AI jobs during April-June 2025.

Recruiters are actively seeking professionals with a blend of analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, creativity, adaptability, and a continuous willingness to learn.

The AI advantage isn't uniform; experienced professionals with AI skills are particularly in demand. While overall AI-based roles grew by 38%, the growth in AI/ML roles for those with 13-16 years of experience was a remarkable 46%, and for those with over 16 years, it was 44%.

This contrasts sharply with non-AI based tech roles, which saw only 8% overall growth. This data shows the value of combining deep industry experience with cutting-edge AI proficiency.