A recent survey showed that many professionals are looking to switch jobs in 2026, but could not make through in an AI-driven hiring process amid rising competition. As per the professional social networking platform LinkedIn, 84 per cent of professionals feel unprepared to find a new job due to the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hiring process even as 72 per cent of professionals are looking for change of a role in 2026.
The survey points to a 'tougher job market' amid the rise of AI as 76 per cent of Indian professionals say finding a new role has become more tougher over the past year. As per LinkedIn survey, applicants per open role have doubled since early 2022.
"AI is now a foundational part of how careers are built and how talent is evaluated across India's job market. What professionals need most is a clear understanding of how their skills translate into opportunity and how hiring decisions are actually made. When used with purpose, AI tools can bridge that gap by helping people identify the roles they're right for, prepare with intent, and focus their learning where it matters most," said Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn Career Expert and Senior Managing Editor, LinkedIn India News.
The survey showed that 77 per cent feel that the hiring process is quite tough now a days having too many stages, lots of people are quite unsure about the use of AI tools in the hiring process.
AI helps to boost confidence during interviews
Meanwhile, the research showed that over 90 per cent of Indian job seekers plan to use AI in their job search and around 66 per cent feel that AI helps to boost their confidence during interviews. It's not only the candidates who are facing difficulties in AI-shaped job market, the recruiters are also facing difficulties in getting suitable candidates. Nearly 74 per cent of recruiters say it is quite tough to find candidates with required skills and slowly there becomes a widening gap between available talent and evolving job requirements.
Trends among Gen Z
According to the survey, career transformation is becoming a common practice across age groups, with 32 per cent of Gen X job seekers are considering a shift to entirely new role or industry, the same trends are being witnessed among Gen Z professionals.
The LinkedIn also listed the 25 fastest-growing jobs in India-
- Prompt Engineer
- AI Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Manager of Artificial Intelligence
- Strategic Advisor
- Media Buyer
- Sales Specialist
- Behavioural Therapist
- Veterinarian
- Solar Consultant
- Brand Strategist
- Legal Specialist
- Cyber Security Specialist
- Founder
- Director of Business Development.
