As India's Job Landscape Changes, These 15 Skills Can Make All The Difference: AI Literacy, LLM, And More

The skilling landscape in India is changing rapidly, with a discrepancy between current skills and future jobs. Over two-thirds (64%) of skills used in most jobs are projected to change by 2030 in India, with 25% of professionals worrying about not having the skills needed for the future, 60% open to switching industries, and 39% planning to learn new skills, according to research by professional platform LinkedIn.

On the other hand, 69% of recruiters in India report a skills mismatch between the skills professionals have and the skills companies need. 

In this backdrop, LinkedIn has launched the Skills on the Rise 2025 list, spotlighting 15 skills that professionals should invest in to stay ahead at work.

Here are this year’s Top 15 Skills on The Rise in India: 

• Creativity and innovation

• Code review

• Problem solving

• Pre-screening

• Strategic thinking

• Communication

• Adaptability

• Large language models (LLM)

• AI literacy

• Debugging

• Customer engagement

• Statistical data analysis

• Prompt engineering

• Market analysis

• Stakeholder management

As AI automates tasks, the skills that set professionals apart are becoming deeply human. Creativity and innovation (#1), problem solving (#3) and strategic thinking (#5) are seeing increased demand, not just in traditionally creative fields like arts and design and marketing, but also in business development and education. Similarly, communication is now essential beyond people-centric roles like sales and HR, extending into IT, consulting, and finance.

The ability to work with AI is a mainstay in today’s work landscape. With 95% of C-Suite leaders in India prioritising AI skills over traditional experience, LLM (#8), AI literacy (#9), and prompt engineering (#13) skills are becoming key differentiators for job applicants. While these skills have traditionally been associated with IT, their growing relevance in education and marketing highlights the expanding role of AI and tech fluency across job functions.

As companies sharpen their focus on business growth, strong customer relationships remain a top priority. Customer engagement (#11) is a critical skill—with an increasing emphasis on customer satisfaction—across sales, business development, and marketing functions. Professionals who can help businesses build enduring customer relations and loyalty will have an advantage.