India tops global AI talent, but trails in meaningful outcomes

India is emerging as one of the strongest markets globally for AI talent, giving organisations a critical advantage in the race to adopt artificial intelligence. According to global professional services firm Aon's inaugural Human Capital Trends Study, 39% of organisations in India are confident in their ability to source skilled AI talent, far ahead of the Asia-Pacific average of 21% and the global average of 24%.

The talent advantage comes even as Indian organisations continue to scale their AI ambitions. The study found that 43% of organisations have already deployed AI, while another 20% are piloting AI initiatives, signalling steady progress towards enterprise-wide adoption. However, India's adoption rate still trails the broader Asia-Pacific region, where 74% of organisations have either deployed or are piloting AI programmes.

Despite this momentum, the research suggests that organisations are yet to fully translate their AI investments into meaningful workforce outcomes.

“India is at a pivotal stage where strong talent availability and growing AI adoption are creating new opportunities for businesses,” said Nitin Sethi, Head of Talent Solutions, India at Aon. “Sustained value will come from continued investment in skills development and workforce strategies that enable people to work alongside technology and drive long-term business outcomes.”

Why data maturity and EVP matter more than AI adoption alone

Organisations in India are prioritising digital transformation, workforce productivity and organisational design to support business growth while strengthening workforce insights and decision-making.

The study found that India also outperforms global peers on several workforce strategy indicators. More than half of organisations (55%) report high HR data maturity, enabling better access to workforce insights and more informed decision-making.

In addition, one in four organisations (25%) has a clearly defined and well-understood employee value proposition (EVP), reflecting stronger alignment between people strategies and business objectives.

Bridging the gap between employer intent and employee experience

Employees in India place strong value on customised benefits and holistic support, with growing demand for areas such as women’s health, financial education, and broader, more accessible benefits coverage.

While 89% of organisations report confidence in their wellbeing strategies, a clear gap persists between employer perception and employee experience. For instance, although 88% of employers believe they should support childcare, only 20% of employees report receiving such support. Similarly, while 89% of employers say they should provide financial education, just 14% of employees report having access to it.

“Organisations in India are making strong progress in building data-driven and future-ready workforce strategies,” said Ashley D’Silva, Head of Health and Wealth Solutions, India at Aon. “As organisations navigate increasingly complex talent dynamics, there is a growing need to define clear employee value propositions and design benefits that reflect different life stages. Aligning employee expectations with personalised, flexible benefits, strengthening communication, and ensuring workforce investments deliver tangible outcomes will be critical to the next phase of growth.”

Aligning investment with outcomes

The findings point to three key priorities for organisations in India:

• Scaling AI adoption alongside continuous workforce upskilling and reskilling
• Harnessing strong data maturity to shape more targeted and effective people strategies
• Strengthening alignment between employee expectations and the design, delivery and communication of benefits

The study surveyed 2,361 business, HR and people leaders globally, including 504 respondents from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.