It’s not some passing fad – AI is the filter now. We’re seeing a shift in the kind of people being hired: those with a degree and the ability to get their hands dirty with AI. TeamLease says 40% of firms are after that sort of profile. Then you have the Future of Jobs Report 2025, which has some stark numbers: 22% of jobs could be in the crosshairs by 2030. It’s only a matter of how quickly you can keep up.
The hiring filter has changed
Qualifications are no longer the whole story; it’s about productivity. The World Economic Forum puts it out there: the ones who will hold down a job are the ones leveraging AI to be 40% more productive. You hear the same from the IBM Institute for Business Value – if you don’t use AI, someone who does will take your place.
There is a sense of urgency, but also a training void. NASSCOM’s 2024 report tells us 82% of BCA and MCA grads in India haven’t had any formal AI instruction. For a degree holder trying to break in, that kind of disconnect can be enough to get you passed over before you even make it to an interview.
If you’re in a tech role, a hiring manager wants to see you can deliver with AI. A certificate doesn’t cut it; they want to see a portfolio and live work. As TeamLease points out, 40% of companies have made hybrid skills a requirement, so the old way of doing things has to give way.
Put aside the degree for a moment. This is what you’ll be vetted on:
– Can you show you’re proficient with the tools?
– Do you have a portfolio of projects you’ve actually put out there?
– Can you do more for less?
– How do you handle an assessment or a tough problem?
Where AI is shrinking entry roles
Nowhere is the change more apparent than in coding. With something like GitHub Copilot, you can have code in 40 seconds. A BCA grad might have put in three hours for the same thing. In 2023, you’d need 12 junions for a certain amount of work; in 2025, you can do with three.
Even back-office work is being overhauled. IIT Delhi’s Central Library put in KOHA’s AI module and went from having four staff on the catalogues to one person who is mostly just checking the AI’s work. The position is still there, but the nature of it has been redefined.
Design is under pressure as well. Canva AI will put together a social media banner in 12 seconds where you used to spend 45. That kind of speed has driven down the price of a simple logo or banner by 70% in the last few years. A team of six is now two.
Translation is another area where automation has made inroads. An experienced translator would put in 45 minutes for a page; DeepL does it in two. We’ve seen a 60% drop in those kinds of jobs since 2019. It shows how easily the basics can be put to one side.
Short-term freeze, long-term expansion
It’s been a rough time for entry-level. Some of the big names in IT – Infosys, Wipro, TCS – have put the brakes on or put off taking on freshers while AI has made some of the routine stuff obsolete. The average candidate is feeling the brunt of that transition.
Pankaj Bansal, an HR head, will tell you it’s not a collapse, just a phase. Look at the number of Global Capability Centers in India: over 4000 of them, with two more opening every week. They are putting young talent with the right AI chops on very good pay packages.
How to future-proof your candidacy now
Bansal is direct about it: a degree isn’t going to be worthless, but if the curriculum is stuck in the past, its worth diminishes. The days of the run-of-the-mill candidate who can recite theory are over. You have to upskill, and it has to be of the practical kind.
He tells students in the middle of their degree to get to work on some live projects. Get a pro licence for an AI tool, put in the hours for half a year, and put together some software or a site. Make sure you can point to how you’ve used AI to fix a problem.
For those who have already graduated, don’t wait. Go for an internship or a project. If the big firms are out of reach, try a small startup, an NGO or a local business. Figure out what they are up against and use AI to make it go away.
You can’t put it any plainer: this is how you put your capabilities on the table.
We’ve put together a no-nonsense plan to keep in step with what the market is after:
– Zero in on an AI tool stack and make it your thing
– Put together a project that’s live and shows you can cut time or cost
– Make a record of it for your portfolio
– Put your skills to the test with some assessments
The 10x professional
At the end of the day, companies are in it for the results. Bansal will have you be a 10x engineer – the kind of pro who can do the work of 10 others with the help of AI. Do that and you can save a firm a lot of money. The numbers speak for themselves: where you might have been offered a starting package of Rs 5 lakh in the past, some are now on the table at Rs 25 lakh.
But don’t think a piece of paper will do the heavy lifting. An AI certificate from an institute doesn’t mean you have a job in the bag. It might get your CV in the pile, but you’ll only land the part if you have the fundamentals, can handle an assessment and actually know your way around AI.
What’s left for us humans (and why it has a price tag)
The IBM Institute for Business Value has a way of putting it: AI isn’t coming for you, but the person with AI is. Then there’s the matter of cost. Global firms are finding out that running up token and GPU bills isn’t always more economical than paying a human. Some startups are so stung by their AI tabs they’d rather put two people on the payroll.
That kind of math is why we still need human judgment. You can’t put a machine in charge of making sense of nuance or earning trust. According to Bansal, what you’re worth right now comes down to four things: how well you can put things together, make a call, read a room and say what you mean.
Some fields are holding up well. Hospitality, data, sales – all of it. A doctor or a journalist with a handle on AI is in a good position. It’s the mix of tech and domain experience that counts.
A change in course: lessons from China and Karnataka
You can see the shift in policy and what’s being taught. In China, between 2021 and 2025, universities did away with over 12,200 undergrad programs and put on 10,200 in their place. They made room for AI and robotics by trimming back on the arts and management.
Karnataka in India is doing something similar. For 2026-27, the state is pulling the plug on 458 BA, BSc and BCom options in its colleges and cutting seats in more than 1,300 courses because not enough students were enrolling. It’s all about making sure a seat leads to a job.
Bansal figures the old signalling power of a degree will last in India for another 3 to 5 years as a shortlisting tool. But the National Education Policy is moving toward a credit system. Down the line, you might be asked if you’re a ‘5.5 scaler’ based on your practical work. In tech, once you’ve had your first job, nobody is going to be inquiring about your diploma.
For the student and the parent
Time to adjust. The Future of Jobs Report 2025 says 22% of jobs could be in play by 2030; treat that as a deadline to get your act together. The ones who come out on top will be the ones who can show they can put out more and better work with AI.
Take the World Economic Forum’s 40% productivity mark as your goal. Find a problem, apply some AI and write up the before and after. That’s what 40% of employers are looking for.
If you’re just starting out and the market is thin, don’t stand by. Go to a startup or a local business if the big names are slow to move. With the number of GCCs on the rise, showing you can do the job will get you in the door faster than sitting in a class.
And for those further along in their career who are tied to theory: re-skill with intent. Take a process your boss cares about and let AI do some of the legwork. Ask yourself the IBM question: are you the one using the tools, or are you the one being made redundant?
This isn’t to say throw your education in the trash. It’s to update it. If you don’t, as Bansal warns, a degree is just a degree. But if you pair it with a portfolio that has some teeth, it will still open doors.
Bottom line: AI is changing the rules of the game. Use the tools, make your case and rely on what makes you human. Those who do won’t just make it through; they’ll be the ones leading the way.
