LinkedIn has revealed the Jobs on the Rise list for 2026, a data-driven ranking of the 25 roles that have grown fastest in India over the past three years.
The study used LinkedIn membership and job-posting data to identify roles that showed consistent positive growth and sufficient hiring activity.
The findings show a clear tilt towards AI and technical roles, while leadership, advisory and specialist positions also feature strongly.
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The list not only names the roles but gives quick indicators of common skills, main hiring industries, hiring hotspots and other hiring signals that jobseekers can use to plan career moves. LinkedIn has paired the list with suggestions for related learning resources.
THE 25 FASTEST-GROWING JOBS IN INDIA (AS LISTED BY LINKEDIN)
1. PROMPT ENGINEER
What they do: Prompt engineers design and refine instructions or inputs (prompts) to get accurate and relevant responses from AI systems.
Most common skills: Prompt Engineering, Large Language Models (LLM), Prompt Design
Most common industries: Technology, Information and Internet, IT Services and IT Consulting, Computers and Electronics Manufacturing
Where the most jobs are: Greater Bengaluru Area, Greater Delhi Area, Greater Hyderabad Area
Gender distribution of hires in 2025: 35% female; 65% male
Median years of prior experience: 1
Top roles transitioned from: Copywriter, Software Engineer, Data Analyst
Flexible work availability: 16% remote; 25% hybrid
2. AI ENGINEER
What they do: Artificial intelligence engineers design, build, and deploy AI systems to train machine learning models, automate complex tasks, and integrate AI into products and services.
Most common skills: Large Language Models (LLM), PyTorch, Deep Learning
Most common industries: IT Services and IT Consulting, Technology, Information and Internet, Business Consulting and Services
Where the most jobs are: Greater Bengaluru Area, Greater Hyderabad Area, Greater Delhi Area
Gender distribution of hires in 2025: 22% female; 78% male
Median years of prior experience: 2
Top roles transitioned from: Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Data Analyst
Flex work availability: 27% remote; 23% hybrid
3. SOFTWARE ENGINEER
What they do: Software engineers design, develop and maintain applications and systems by writing and debugging code, solving technical problems, and improving performance.
Most common skills: Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Microservices, Kubernetes
Most common industries: IT Services and IT Consulting, Technology, Information and Internet, Credit Intermediation
Where the most jobs are: Greater Hyderabad Area, Greater Bengaluru Area, Greater Chennai Area
advertisement Gender distribution of hires in 2025: 28% female; 72% male
Median years of prior experience: 7
Top roles transitioned from: Technical Architect, Data Enginee
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