Skills in AI now fetching freshers up to Rs 21 lakh in India's IT sector

Bengaluru: Armed with specialised skill sets, freshers in the Indian IT services industry are now commanding pay packages above Rs 10 lakh, which is twice the sum they were earning till recently.

For many years, freshers were paid between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per annum, depending on the stream and college from which they graduated. But things have started changing, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), as it has created niche skills that can fetch even Rs 21 lakh per annum.

The country’s second-largest IT services firm, Infosys, is now offering packages of up to Rs 21 lakh per annum for freshers hired for specialised technology roles. Infosys plans to onboard engineering and computer science students for specialised roles, and salaries will range from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 21 lakh per annum.

Specialised roles such as applied AI/ML, data engineering, cloud platform engineering, cybersecurity and product-grade full-stack are commanding higher pay packages.

In a statement to DH, Infosys Group CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer) Shaji Mathew said, “As in previous years, our early‑career hiring strategy integrates both campus hiring to meet forecasted talent needs and off‑campus hiring to support just‑in‑time requirements. While we have always offered multiple roles for early‑career professionals, we have now expanded opportunities within the Specialist Programmer track. This includes compensation packages of up to Rs 21 lakh per annum.”

Other IT services firms are offering pay packages up to Rs 11 lakh per annum.

As automation, AI, and software-driven models spread across sectors, it has become extremely critical to build a future-ready workforce and specialised skills in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, etc., are increasingly important, Biz Staffing Comrade managing partner Puneet Arora said.

“Some organisations are willing to offer higher compensation to secure niche talent, especially where there is an immediate business need or skill scarcity,” he added.

Quess Corp CEO – IT staffing Kapil Joshi said freshers who command various niche skills such as AI, cloud and semiconductor are always in demand, and since there is a demand-supply gap, premiumisation is offered. He added that this has been seen across sectors, and the demand has been there for six months to a year now.

However, this package does not apply to everyone. “Realistically, only a small proportion of freshers secure double-digit packages — typically those with specialised skills and hands-on project experience. We believe that as the demand shifts towards specialised skills, compensation for a section of freshers is likely to move up gradually, though the broad base will remain within traditional bands in the near term,” Arora said.

He is of the view that though this segment may grow over time, double-digit packages will continue to be the exception rather than the norm for fresh graduates.

TeamLease Digital’s Digital Skills & Salary Primer shows that freshers with job-ready AI, cloud, or data skills are earning an average starting salary of Rs 7.5-9 LPA, compared with Rs 3.5-5 LPA for standard IT roles. “Large IT firms may have elite fresher tracks ranging from Rs 7.5 LPA to Rs 21 LPA, but industry data indicates over 80 per cent of IT services freshers still earn below Rs 6 LPA , highlighting how selective this premium hiring remains,” TeamLease Digital CEO Neeti Sharma told DH.

Only 5-7 per cent of freshers qualify

Sharma said that out of 10,000 freshers entering the job market, only a small fraction secure double-digit packages. Based on current hiring patterns, roughly 5-7 per cent qualify for Rs 10 LPA-plus offers, typically in AI, data, cloud, or product engineering roles hired through competitive specialist tracks. Another 10-15 per cent fall into the Rs 7-10 LPA range. The remaining 75-80 per cent still enter traditional IT or digital roles at Rs 4-6 LPA, reflecting the overall distribution of job-ready digital skills, she added.