Women saw 145% salary jump from transition into AI-enabled careers, finds report — see which jobs gave highest gains

Adopting artificial intelligence has accelerated women's rise in the technology sector, according to the ‘India AI Workforce Report’ by Scaler. The demographic reported a 145% increase in salary after transitioning into AI-enabled careers, it said.

Based on inputs from 11,444 professionals, the report looked at how AI is reshaping India’s workforce across industries as professionals use the tool “to improve productivity, accelerate career progression, and create new opportunities”, the report added.

Increased participation, women make big gains

According to the report, the talent pool has widened due to increased participation from non-technical professionals, learners from Tier-II cities, and women advancing into high-growth AI pathways. “From women breaking into technology roles that were previously out of reach, to learners coming from Tier II cities like Lucknow, Patna, Jaipur, Indore, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Nagpur, and others, AI learning is opening new career pathways,” it stated.

• A growing number of women are entering AI roles and, in many cases, commanding better compensation outcomes than the industry average.
• AI upskilling is opening new pathways for women to enter and thrive in the technology workforce and enabling them to break into technology roles that were previously less accessible.

• Women are expanding AI's footprint beyond engineering, emerging as key contributors across HR, academia, and Marketing functions,
• Women reported an average 145% increase in salary (cost-to-company) after transitioning into AI-enabled careers,
• Among the various jobs, female QA engineers recorded the sharpest gains at 574%.

Women see a salary jump in these roles

The Scaler report noted that women are taking AI beyond code and building its impact across business functions, including human resources, academia, marketing, and support roles.

It found that women now participate more in the following jobs: Data analyst - 24%, intern or student - 31%, technical support - 31%, marketing - 33%, academia - 37%, and HR - 41%.

AI evolving from technical skill to workforce capability

Overall, the findings suggest that AI is evolving from a specialised technical skill into a broader workforce capability — over 50% career outcomes are expanding beyond software development into leadership, consulting, operations, marketing, finance and other business roles.

“India is home to one of the world's largest pools of technology talent … and an ambitious young workforce eager to learn and adapt. What excites us most about this report is where real transformation is taking root: in Tier II cities, among women professionals, and across functions far beyond engineering… At a time when much of the conversation around AI focuses on job displacement, the findings tell a different story,” Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder, Scaler, said in the release.

India AI workforce report: Key highlights

One in five AI learners comes from Tier II cities and lands well-paying roles that compete with those of their metro counterparts. This demonstrates that opportunity is expanding well beyond traditional technology hubs.

• Women in AI are not just entering the field in growing numbers; in several cases, they are commanding better compensation outcomes than the industry average.
• Women are translating AI skills into stronger career outcomes. Across several AI-enabled roles, women highlight AI's potential to unlock new pathways for growth and advancement.
• AI upskilling is becoming a leadership accelerator, not just a technical skill.