Top 20 Trending IT Roles in India for 2026: What the Hiring Data Reveals

Overview

op 20 Trending IT Roles in India for 2026: What the Hiring Data Reveals

India’s IT hiring landscape in early 2026 is being reshaped by one dominant force: Artificial Intelligence — supported closely by cloud adoption, data-led decision-making, and heightened cybersecurity needs.

According to LinkedIn’s “Jobs on the Rise 2026 – India” report, AI and GenAI-related roles dominate the fastest-growing job categories. This trend is further validated by real-time hiring data across job boards such as Naukri, Indeed, Foundit, and Glassdoor, and by daily hiring patterns observed on Antal Tech Jobs.

With India’s IT workforce estimated at ~58 lakh professionals in 2025–26 and projections pointing to over 1 million AI-specific roles by 2026, the demand-supply gap for future-ready tech talent is widening rapidly. Key hiring hubs continue to be Bengaluru (≈43.5% of tech hiring), followed by Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, Pune, and Chennai.

Below is a curated list of the Top 20 Trending IT Roles in India for 2026, ranked based on demand growth, salary momentum, and alignment with emerging technologies.

---

Top 20 Trending IT Roles in India (2026)

1. Prompt Engineer

Role: Designing effective prompts for LLMs and GenAI tools
Why trending: #1 fastest-growing role per LinkedIn 2026
Avg Salary: ₹15–35 LPA
Key Skills: Prompt design, LLM fundamentals, Python basics

2. AI Engineer / AI-ML Engineer

Role: Building, training, and deploying AI models
Why trending: Severe AI talent shortage (~53% skill gap)
Avg Salary: ₹20–60 LPA
Key Skills: PyTorch, TensorFlow, Deep Learning, LLMs

3. Machine Learning Engineer

Role: Scalable ML systems for prediction and automation
Why trending: Core execution layer of the AI boom
Avg Salary: ₹20–45 LPA

4. Data Scientist

Role: Turning data into business insights
Why trending: Evergreen demand across BFSI, healthcare, SaaS
Avg Salary: ₹15–30 LPA

5. Cloud Architect / Cloud Engineer

Role: Designing AWS, Azure, GCP infrastructures
Why trending: Aggressive cloud migration across enterprises
Avg Salary: ₹18–40 LPA

6. Cybersecurity Specialist

Role: Threat detection, ethical hacking, compliance
Why trending: Rising cyber risks and regulatory pressure
Avg Salary: ₹12–25 LPA

7. DevOps Engineer

Role: CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation
Why trending: Essential for cloud-native and agile teams
Avg Salary: ₹15–30 LPA

8. Full-Stack Developer

Role: End-to-end application development
Why trending: Versatility and consistent job volume
Avg Salary: ₹10–25 LPA

9. Blockchain Engineer

Role: Smart contracts and decentralized applications
Why trending: Fintech, Web3, and enterprise pilots
Avg Salary: ₹12–28 LPA

10. IoT Solutions Architect

Role: Designing connected device ecosystems
Why trending: Industry 4.0 and manufacturing digitisation
Avg Salary: ₹15–35 LPA

11. Software Engineer (General)

Role: Core application and system development
Why trending: Foundational role across all tech stacks
Avg Salary: ₹8–20 LPA

12. Data Engineer

Role: Data pipelines, ETL, and infrastructure
Why trending: Backbone for AI and analytics
Avg Salary: ₹12–25 LPA

13. Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)

Role: Ensuring system reliability and scalability
Why trending: Critical for cloud-first businesses
Avg Salary: ₹18–35 LPA

14. Big Data Engineer / Architect

Role: Large-scale data processing (Hadoop, Spark)
Why trending: Explosion of enterprise data volumes
Avg Salary: ₹20–40 LPA

15. Mobile App Developer

Role: iOS and Android development
Why trending: Mobile-first consumer and enterprise apps
Avg Salary: ₹10–22 LPA

16. QA Automation Engineer

Role: Automated testing and quality engineering
Why trending: Shift from manual QA to speed-driven delivery
Avg Salary: ₹8–18 LPA

17. UX/UI Designer

Role: User-centric digital product design
Why trending: Experience-led product differentiation
Avg Salary: ₹10–20 LPA

18. AI Manager / AI Leadership Roles

Role: Leading AI strategy and execution
Why trending: Enterprises scaling AI across functions
Avg Salary: ₹30+ LPA

19. Semiconductor Design Engineer

Role: Chip and hardware design for AI systems
Why trending: India’s semiconductor and hardware push
Avg Salary: ₹20–45 LPA

20. Regulatory Compliance Analyst (Tech-Focused)

Role: AI, data privacy, and regulatory compliance
Why trending: BFSI, healthcare, and AI governance needs
Avg Salary: ₹15–30 LPA

---

Key Hiring Insights from ATJ

• AI & GenAI dominate more than half of the fastest-growing tech roles

• Salary growth is strongest in AI, data engineering, and cloud architecture

• QA and testing are rapidly moving toward automation-first models

• Traditional IT roles remain, but expectations around skills and impact are higher

• Hiring demand is strong, but role clarity and skill depth now decide employability

---

What This Means for Tech Professionals & Employers

• For candidates: Focus on depth, hands-on projects, and emerging tech skills

• For hiring managers: Precision hiring matters more than volume

• For recruiters: Understanding why a role is trending is critical to closing it

At Antal Tech Jobs (ATJ), we track hiring signals across roles, skills, and industries to help employers and candidates stay aligned with where the market is actually moving.

India’s tech job market isn’t shrinking — it’s specialising.
AI isn’t replacing jobs; it’s redefining them.