On a day when the ILO came out with a report on the dismal global employment scenario, the inaugural QS World Future Skills Index has said that India offers one of the world’s most ready job market to recruit talent skilled in the key areas, such as that of AI, digital and green technologies.

The QS findings, however, flags critical areas for improvement within the India’s higher education system, industry collaboration, and employment markets.

The report notes significant opportunities in India to better equip graduates with the digital, AI, and green skills that employers increasingly demand. This is despite the strong performance of Indian universities in QS rankings.

India, as per the Index produced by higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds, excels in the Future of Work indicator, securing the world’s second-highest score (99.1), trailing the US by less than a point as the overall leader in the index.

Future Skills Contender

Overall in the Index, India is placed 25th on putting together all the four indicators. It’s recognised as a Future Skills Contender.

The QS Future Skills Index has evaluated countries on four indicators to ascertain how equipped they are to meet the evolving demands of the international job market. They are ‘Skills Fit’, which is assessing education system to find out if it aligns with the needs of industry and employers, ‘Academic Readiness’, a country’s readiness to deliver the skills necessary for future industries.

The other two are: ‘Future of Work’ -- a country job market’s capacity to recruit for the most in-demand skills of the future, and, finally, ‘Economic Transformation’, ability of an economy to leverage the next wave of skills-led industrial growth.

Matteo Quacquarelli, QS Vice President Strategy and Analytics, said: “India’s outstanding GDP growth in recent years, developing economy, youth population and start-up culture, are all putting the country on the world stage and on a strengthened footpath to success.

“While other nations are dealing with demographic problems around ageing societies, India’s current population offer multiple unique opportunities for further development,” he added.

The QS analysis has pinned hope on India’s strong ability to attract venture capital funding despite global downturns which reinforces its reputation as having a resilient and dynamic investment ecosystem.

Another positive trend picked up by Index is India’s notable readiness to integrate AI into its workforce, that sets it apart from many other countries which are slower to adopt emerging technologies.

India stands with Mexico to qualify as the nation “most ready to recruit into digital roles.”

Published on January 16, 2025