Women see 145% salary hike after moving into AI roles: Scaler report

4 min readNew DelhiJun 18, 2026 06:16 PM IST

Women professionals reported strong salary gains after transitioning into AI-enabled careers, according to Scaler's India AI Workforce Report 2026. (Image: Magnific)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the job landscape, and it seems women are emerging as big winners in this transformation. The learning platform Scaler has released its latest India AI Workforce Report 2026 with some insightful observations. The report states that women transitioning into AI-enabled careers are reporting an average salary hike of 145 per cent, underscoring how AI is creating new career paths beyond the conventional tech roles.

The report, based on insights from 11,444 professionals across India, suggests that AI is increasingly becoming a workforce-wide capability rather than a specialised skill limited to software engineers. It also found that women are expanding AI’s footprint beyond engineering, emerging as contributors across HR, academia, marketing and other business functions. Among women professionals, QA engineers recorded the sharpest salary gains after AI upskilling, with compensation increasing by as much as 574 per cent.

At the same time, the study points to a broader transformation in India’s workforce as AI adoption spreads across industries. Nearly 25 per cent of AI learners now come from non-technical backgrounds, signalling growing interest in AI among professionals outside engineering and technology. The report further noted that barely 50 per cent of AI-enabled career outcomes now lie beyond traditional engineering roles, spanning leadership, consulting, HR, marketing, finance, academia and other business functions.

“AI is creating new pathways to opportunity, accelerating career growth, and enabling professionals to command a stronger compensation outcome. At a time when much of the conversation around AI focuses on job displacement, the findings tell a different story,” said Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder, Scaler.

According to Scaler, these findings indicate that AI is evolving from a specialised technical skill into a broader workforce capability, helping professionals improve productivity, accelerate career progression and unlock new opportunities.

The report also highlights how India’s AI talent pipeline is becoming increasingly diverse geographically; nearly one in five AI learners now comes from Tier-II cities such as Lucknow, Patna, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Indore and Nagpur, among others, reflecting the growing democratisation of AI learning and career opportunities across the country.

“For those who embrace AI skills, the technology is proving to be a creator of opportunity, and not a destroyer of jobs. India’s AI talent story is becoming more inclusive, more distributed, and more impactful with every passing year,” Saxena said.

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However, major metros continue to dominate the talent landscape. Bengaluru accounted for 19 per cent of AI learners, followed by Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai, making them the country’s leading AI talent hubs.

On the career front, AI upskilling delivered significant gains across experience levels. Professionals reported an average salary increase of 147 per cent, with early-career professionals registering the highest percentage growth. The report noted that AI is becoming a career multiplier not only for young professionals but also for experienced workers looking to strengthen their capabilities and move into higher-value roles.

Software engineering emerges as the most common AI career outcome, followed by engineering leadership. Meanwhile, VPs, CXO, and engineering leaders reported the highest post-upskilling salaries, averaging Rs 33 lakh per annum.

(This article has been curated by Shivani P Menon, who is an intern with The Indian Express)