Beyond AI: IndusGuru data shows what technology skills Indian companies are hiring for

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 15: Artificial intelligence has become a theme of India’s technology hiring market. GCCs, consulting firms and enterprises are investing in AI, data analytics, cloud, ERP and automation while undertaking technology transformations.

But the talent requirements emerging from these projects extend well beyond AI.

As GCCs expand their mandates and enterprises undertake transformations, companies need expertise across enterprise applications, cloud, data, cybersecurity, programme management and digital transformation. Conventional hiring can take weeks when organisations need specialised experience, creating a role for independent technology experts who can be engaged for specific projects.

Data from IndusGuru’s technology practice offers a view into this shift. Technology mandates accounted for 34.55% of its total mandates in 2026, compared with 29.42% in 2025. The addition of technology experts to its platform grew 49.27% in 2026.

Enterprise technology demand is broader than AI

IndusGuru’s platform data shows demand across several technology capabilities.

SAP accounts for 47.3% of technology mandates, followed by digital transformation at 13.1%. Programme and project management accounts for 6.2%, cloud and infrastructure for 5.3%, and data and analytics for 5.2%. Software engineering and applications account for 4.5%, CRM/Salesforce for 4.3%, AI/ML for 2.6%, and cybersecurity for 2.1%.

These figures represent IndusGuru’s platform mix rather than the technology hiring market as a whole. They show the range of expertise organisations are seeking through an independent expert model.

Deepak Malkani & Shanu Malkani, Co-Founders, IndusGuru

SAP highlights specialised demand

SAP is the largest technology category in IndusGuru’s platform mix, accounting for 47.3% of technology mandates. Demand for SAP expertise grew 145.45% year-on-year in 2026, while the SAP consultant pool grew 22.86%.

Requirements span S/4HANA implementations, public-cloud projects, brownfield implementations, upgrades, migrations and specialised skills such as Kinaxis and Blue Yonder.

These requirements are often tied to a particular project, implementation stage or capability gap rather than a permanent role.

Experienced professionals are part of the equation

IndusGuru’s annual addition of technology experts grew 49.27% in 2026, following 53.74% growth in 2025.

The platform has a significant presence of senior professionals. 23.22% of its technology expert pool has 15–20 years of experience, 15.84% has 20–25 years, and 20.20% has more than 25 years. Together, professionals with 15 or more years of experience represent nearly 60% of the pool.

For enterprises, this can be valuable when a project requires experience that is difficult to build internally or find through conventional hiring. Senior specialists can be engaged for the period in which their expertise is needed.

Speed matters when projects cannot wait

Independent experts can also address the time involved in specialised hiring.

IndusGuru says it typically takes two to three days to identify and shortlist suitable technology experts, with deployment taking one to two weeks, depending on urgency and onboarding.

Its platform data shows that 30% of requirements are shortlisted or deployed within 48 hours, while 50% are addressed within seven days. Another 15% are handled within two weeks, with 5% taking longer.

IndusGuru assesses technical requirements, experience, project scope and work preferences before proposing candidates. Shortlisted professionals also undergo a 15–20 minute curation call.

Repeat engagements show continuing demand

The model extends beyond one-off requirements. IndusGuru reports that 95% of clients return for additional technology mandates, while technology engagements typically run for six to 12 months.

As technology programmes evolve, organisations may need different specialists at different stages. Project-based expertise can offer an alternative to permanent hiring.

The bigger shift is specialised technology talent

The data does not suggest that AI is replacing other areas of technology demand, nor is IndusGuru’s platform mix a proxy for the broader Indian technology market.

Instead, it points to a fragmented technology talent requirement. AI and ML form part of that requirement alongside ERP, digital transformation, programme management, cloud, data and analytics, software engineering, CRM and cybersecurity.

For companies managing complex technology programmes, the challenge is increasingly about accessing the right expertise at the right stage of a project.

AI will remain central to the technology conversation. But the demand visible through IndusGuru’s platform shows that enterprise technology requirements continue to span a much wider range of capabilities – from the systems that underpin business operations to the specialists transforming them.