Artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the corporate landscape, and the technology has its own pros and cons. The AI boom has eliminated many job roles – mostly in the IT sector. However, demand for AI engineers has risen proportionally, offering techies high-paying packages.
A TeamLease Digital report on Digital Skills and Salary Primer FY2026-27 shared insights into the changing job market, stating that IT jobs are not disappearing, but the skills companies are willing to pay high salaries for are changing because of AI.
The report stated that people with expertise in AI, machine learning, cloud computing, data science, and cybersecurity are in high demand. Companies are willing to pay more for professionals who can build, manage, and secure these technologies.
So, which technology jobs are attracting higher salaries? How much can professionals earn in these roles, and which jobs are facing greater pressure?
The report identifies four major areas where specialised skills are attracting higher pay:
The difference is also visible across AI-related roles. At the entry level, the median annual salary for AI-core roles stands at ₹13.2 lakh. This compares with ₹9 lakh to ₹10.2 lakh for AI-adjacent roles and ₹4.8 lakh to ₹5.4 lakh for AI-support roles.
The report projects salary growth of 16-21% for AI-core roles, 13-18% for AI-adjacent positions and 7-8% for AI-support jobs.
Demand is also growing for professionals such as generative AI (GenAI) engineers, AI architects, machine learning platform specialists and cloud security experts.
Some senior technology roles pay over ₹1 crore annually
The report highlights the high earning potential of professionals who can design and manage complex technology systems.
AI architects earn a reported median annual salary of ₹1.086 crore, while industrial data architects earn ₹1.02 crore and operational technology (OT) security architects earn ₹95.8 lakh.
Location matters less when specialised skills are in demand
The city in which a professional works is no longer the only factor determining their earning potential. Specialised skills can sometimes attract higher salaries in smaller cities than those offered for other technology roles in major IT hubs.
For instance, the report puts the annual salary of a GenAI engineer in Indore at around ₹16.5 lakh, compared with ₹14.4 lakh for a cybersecurity professional in Bengaluru.
Milind Shah, managing director of Randstad Digital India, says salaries for specialised technology roles depend on the depth of expertise, the complexity of the job and its impact on business performance.
On average, professionals with niche technology skills can earn a salary premium of 10-25%, he says.
Why are companies paying more for these skills?
The higher salaries reflect a shortage of skilled professionals and the growing business value of specialised technology roles.
According to Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, only around 16% of India’s IT professionals have AI skills, limiting the pool of candidates available to employers.
Companies need professionals who can take AI projects beyond the testing stage and turn them into working systems that can be used reliably in everyday business operations.
Sharma explains that companies are not simply paying more because salaries are rising across the market. Instead, they are willing to pay a premium for people who can build AI systems and take responsibility for their performance.
In contrast, routine support and repetitive tasks are increasingly being automated, reducing the demand for some traditional skills.