LinkedIn’s new report reveals that people skilled in artificial intelligence (AI) in India went up by 14x in June 2023 compared to January 2016.
India is in the top 5 countries for AI talent, alongside Singapore, Finland, Ireland, and Canada. The data shows the fastest diffusion of AI skills is happening in Singapore (20x), followed by Finland (16x), Ireland (15x), India (14x) and Canada (13x).
Ashutosh Gupta, Country Manager, LinkedIn India said that the Indian workforce has recognized the importance of these skills.
The LinkedIn report also revealed that there has been an increase in the focus on AI at work in the platform in a variety of ways, including in the job listings hirers are posting, the skills the members are adding to their profiles and the everyday conversations people are having with each other.
While AI is not new, the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 led to a meteoric rise of interest in and conversation around AI, and more specifically in GAI1 on LinkedIn.
Job postings referencing new AI technologies also are climbing rapidly. The share of global English-language job postings mentioning GPT or ChatGPT increased 21x since November 2022.
47% of US executives believe that “using generative AI will increase productivity”, 44% plan to increase their use of AI at their organization in the next year, and 40% think that using generative AI will help unlock more growth/revenue opportunities in the next year.
The uptick in members’ skills, employers’ job postings, and platform conversations indicate that competition is intensifying to hire talent to fill specialized AI roles.
Since many of the roles are brand new and no existing degree completely satisfies the role, filling them will require an increased emphasis on hiring for skills.
Businesses will need to thoroughly understand the skills they have and the skills they need, so they can hire candidates with the right skills and direct upskilling efforts for current employees appropriately.
LinkedIn’s AI Skills Index shows the speed at which members are adding AI skills to their profiles across industries and countries.
For example, a country that has an index of 10 in June 2023, means its share of members with at least two AI skills has grown by 10x since January 2016.
“Companies that focus on skills and shift away from more antiquated signals like degree, pedigree, or where someone worked previously, will be able to ensure they have the right people with the right skills, in the right roles, doing their best work. And it doesn’t stop there. Once you have those employees in the right roles with the right skills, it’s equally important to continue investing in their career progression and skills.” said Ryan Roslansky, Chief Executive Officer, LinkedIn.
Acceleration of AI skills across industries and geographies
The rise of AI talent and members adding AI skills has been accelerating since the launch of ChatGPT we are seeing the promise of AI and how it’s reshaping the skills required at work and at the same time helping people become more productive.
An analysis of how AI skills are diffusing across 25 countries shows that the pace at which LinkedIn members added AI skills to their profiles nearly doubled since the launch of ChatGPT, rising from 7.7% (May–November 2022) to 13% (November 2022–June 2023).
LinkedIn’s new AI Skills Index offers a unique look at how AI skills are being adopted across geographies and industries. Tracking the speed and direction of AI skills as they spread throughout the global economy gives us a sharper read on how quickly and in what ways we can expect the workplace to transform.
LinkedIn’s AI Skills Index – which highlights the speed at which members are adding AI skills to their profiles – shows there are 10x as many people with AI skills in the UK now than there were in January 2016. LinkedIn’s skills taxonomy includes 41,000 skills and 121 of these are considered AI skills, including machine learning, natural language, and deep learning.
The detailed report can be read by clicking here.