80% of Indian leaders favour AI skills over experience in hiring decisions: Report

Source: Neuroleadership Institute

About 80 percent of leaders in India prioritise talent with artificial intelligence (AI) skills over higher experience while hiring, a report has said, as companies increasingly adopt Generative AI (GenAI)  models to boost productivity and offerings.

Almost 75 percent of Indian leaders are unwilling to hire talent that lacks AI skills, over a global average of 66 percent, the Work Trend Index released on May 16 said.

According to the report launched by Microsoft and LinkedIn, the findings are based on a survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries, labour and hiring trends on LinkedIn, trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals and research with Fortune 500 customers.

The report also said about 92 percent of knowledge workers in India use AI at work as compared to the global figure of 75 percent. Moreover, employees are not waiting for companies to train them on GenAI, instead 72 percent of Indian AI users are opting to bring their own AI tools to workplaces.

“Data from the Work Trend Index shows that AI is now a reality at work, with India having one of the highest AI adoption rates among knowledge workers, at 92 percent.

“The rate of diffusion we are seeing across sectors, from BFSI to healthcare to ITES, and the public sector has been very encouraging,” said Irina Ghose, Managing Director, Microsoft India and South Asia, during a panel discussion in Mumbai.

The growing demand and interest in AI skills is shaping how individuals are upskilling to become employable in the GenAI era.

As of late 2023, there has been a 142 times increase globally in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles.

The instances of non-technical professionals using LinkedIn Learning courses to build their AI aptitude has gone up by 160 percent.

“The demand for AI expertise has seen a remarkable 17 percent jump from last year, echoing LinkedIn platform insights and findings of the Work Trend Index ,” said Ruchee Anand, head of Talent & Learning Solutions at LinkedIn.

The report also said AI mentions in LinkedIn job posts drive a 17 percent increase in response rate. “It’s a two-way street: organisations that empower employees with AI tools and training will attract the best talent, and professionals who skill up in AI will have the edge,” the report said.