The Centre has not conducted any specific assessment of the demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related skills or the gap in trained workers, even as just 47.6 per cent of candidates enrolled in AI-related job roles under its flagship skilling scheme had been certified as of June 30, 2026, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) said in a parliamentary response on Monday.
“A specific assessment of demand for AI-related skills and the current workforce gap has not been done,” Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha in a written response. Of the 53,449 candidates enrolled in AI-related job roles under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0, 39,104 had been trained, 28,345 assessed and 25,466 certified, showed the data provided by the ministry.
Among the AI job roles, AI Data Quality Analyst had the highest enrolment at 15,469, followed by AI Machine Learning Engineer at 8,986, AI Database Administrator at 7,059, AI DevOps Engineer at 4,962 and AI Data Scientist at 4,683. Certification rates varied significantly, from 31.9 per cent for AI Data Quality Analysts to 62 per cent for AI Machine Learning Engineers, 56.2 per cent for AI Data Scientists and 71.9 per cent for AI DevOps Engineers.
The finding comes amid growing concerns over a mismatch between the skills being imparted and those demanded by employers, particularly as the rapid adoption of AI is reshaping entry-level work. Employers have increasingly flagged gaps in job-readiness and AI capabilities among new graduates, while concerns have also grown that automation and generative AI could reduce the number of traditional entry-level roles available to young workers.
The AI training is part of the fourth iteration of PMKVY, the Centre’s flagship short-term skilling scheme. PMKVY 4.0, covering 2022-26, was designed to move beyond conventional job roles and explicitly included Industry 4.0 areas such as AI, robotics, mechatronics, Internet of Things and drones. The scheme guidelines require job roles to be “future-ready” and address emerging sectors such as AI and robotics.
AI-related roles were already being offered under PMKVY 4.0 by 2023-24, including AI Data Engineer, AI Machine Learning Engineer and AI Data Scientist among its new-age job roles.
The latest parliamentary data provides a detailed picture of the AI-specific training pipeline. The 53,449 enrolments were spread across 20 AI-related roles, ranging from AI Data Quality Analyst and AI Machine Learning Engineer to AI Database Administrator, AI DevOps Engineer and AI Data Scientist. There were also roles such as AI Business Intelligence Analyst, AI Data Architect and AI Solution Architect, as well as Pharmacovigilance Case Processing using software, including AI tools.
The job roles are developed in consultation with industry and Sector Skill Councils, while the training itself is delivered through colleges affiliated with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), engineering colleges, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) centres, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras, skill universities and other institutions. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), the national regulator for the vocational education and training ecosystem, has 116 artificial intelligence and machine learning-related qualifications, National Occupational Standards and micro-credentials in place.
