MUMBAI: A significant percentage of young professionals are keen to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) upskilling, recognising its crucial role in staying relevant in the job market, according to a report released on Saturday.
Around 80 per cent of respondents believed that acquiring AI skills can give them a competitive advantage and will open doors to exciting job opportunities, according to the report by jobs and professional networking platform apna.co.
The report is based on an online survey by apna.co with more than 5,000 young professionals between 18-35 years and was conducted in June.
The report further revealed that a significant (65 per cent) of young professionals showed interest in acquiring skills in the digital marketing space.
The growing prominence of digital marketing as a sought-after domain highlights its importance in today's job market and respondents recognised its value in driving business growth and reaching target audiences in this era, the report added.
"The report mirrors the efforts of the Indian youth, who are increasingly recognising the importance of upskilling themselves with the emerging technologies in the transformed work ecosystem," apna.co co-founder and CEO Nirmit Parikh noted.
The report revealed that 7 out of 10 respondents have taken proactive steps by enrolling in upskilling initiatives, demonstrating their commitment to personal and professional growth.
This proactive approach reflects the awareness among young professionals that upskilling is essential for staying competitive and securing rewarding career opportunities, it said.
Family and personal commitments, along with financial constraints, were cited as common barriers that hinder some individuals from participating in upskilling programmes, it added.
However, the report found that a growing concern among 7 out of 10 respondents, is their lack of confidence in their current skill-set to keep up with the job market.
Around 60 per cent of the respondents said they have established a separate personal learning and development budget post-Covid, signalling a commitment to self-improvement, it said. This budget allocation indicated a strong determination among young professionals to address their skill gaps and enhance their marketability, it added.