India’s tech workforce is signalling a sharp expectation gap on artificial intelligence upskilling, with 71% of professionals valuing hands-on AI training but only 29% receiving it from current employers, according to Talent500’s ‘What Talent Wants 2026’ report.
The report, from Talent500, a part of ANSR that enables organisations to build and scale Global Capability Centres (GCCs), surveyed 2,000 tech, product and data professionals across India on how they evaluate employers, what they expect from their next opportunity and what shapes their career decision. The AI upskilling gap emerged as the largest expectation-delivery mismatch across six workplace attributes tested in the study.
As per the report, professionals are not looking for AI awareness courses or certification programmes. They want opportunities to work with AI in a meaningful, hands-on way through real-world assignments embedded in daily delivery.
Career growth sits at the centre of candidate choice. The study found that 87% of respondents say defined career-growth information is very important when evaluating an employer, and 79% would drop an application or decline an offer if there is no clear career or growth path. Only 36% of GCC employees describe their career path as very clear, compared with 50% in IT services and 51% in startups, making career clarity a differentiator for GCCs.
“Candidates arrive with more information, more questions and more ways to validate what an employer tells them. For employers, that changes the job. It is no longer enough to have a strong opportunity. The things talent values must also be clear, credible and visible before candidates are asked to commit,” said Vikram Ahuja, Co-Founder, ANSR and CEO, 1Wrk.
The research found that 92% of respondents research an employer on LinkedIn before applying, 81% visit the company or careers page, and 31% now use an AI assistant to research a potential employer before applying. Former employees are the most trusted source of information at 48%, followed by current employees’ LinkedIn posts at 44%, while company leadership content sits considerably lower.
GCCs of multinationals emerged as the first choice for the next career move for 69% of respondents, ahead of Indian product companies at 37%, IT services firms at 28% and local or regional employers at 21%. Among current GCC employees, 84% would choose a GCC again.
The talent market itself is less anchored than it appears. The study found that 59% of respondents are already actively looking for their next role and only 18% say they are firmly settled, with mobility rising sharply with experience.
