ANI Photo
India, one of world's most prepared job markets for future in-demand skills: QS World Future Skills Index
London [UK], January 16 (ANI): The inaugural QS World Future Skills Index has identified India’s job market as one of the world’s most ready to recruit for the most in-demand future skills, including in the key areas of AI, digital and green technologies.
The Index, produced by higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluates how well countries are equipped to meet the evolving demands of the international job market by measuring four main points:
1. Skills Fit — how well the education system aligns with the needs of industry and employers
2. Academic Readiness — how well a country is positioned to deliver the skills necessary for future industries
3. Future of Work — the readiness of a country’s job market to recruit for the most in-demand skills of the future
4. Economic Transformation — how ready a country’s economy is to leverage the next wave of skills-led industrial growth
In this new index, India places 25th overall when all four indicators are combined, and is recognised a Future Skills Contender. Additionally, India 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.
India’s strong ability to attract venture capital funding—despite global downturns—reinforces its reputation as having a resilient and dynamic investment ecosystem. Furthermore, QS analysis highlights India’s notable readiness to integrate AI into its workforce, setting it apart from many other countries that are slower to adopt emerging technologies.
India, alongside Mexico, is identified as the nation "most ready to recruit into digital roles," according to the latest QS report. However, the report also highlights critical areas for improvement within the India’s higher education system, industry collaboration, and employment markets. Despite the strong performance of Indian universities in QS rankings, the report notes significant opportunities to better equip graduates with the digital, AI, and green skills that employers increasingly demand.
The Index also makes key recommendations for India that includes:
- Increase tertiary education supply: Failure to better leverage the long-tail of India's young-age population through appropriate tertiary education will lead to skills shortages in the economy and consequently stymied long-term growth. Focus should be on supply of particular vocations or industries that will drive the country's long-term growth, with more routes into tertiary education
- Modularised approach to higher education: One way of expanding the routes into tertiary education, could be through modularised learning that lower barriers to entry and increase the supply of skills-aligned graduates in the economy
- Foster entrepreneurial and innovative mindsets: Universities must prioritise integrating creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial thinking into their curricula. Strengthening partnerships with industry is essential to bridge gaps in entrepreneurial and innovation-driven skills.
- Focus on green skills and integrate sustainability into education: Embedding sustainability in academic programmes is crucial to addressing the current deficit in green skills. Higher education must play a leading role in advancing India’s sustainability agenda. Notably, 21 of the 78 Indian universities featured in the 2025 QS Sustainability Rankings were new entrants, signalling progress in this area, but industries such as electric vehicles and renewables are missing required skills
- Bridge investment and innovation gaps: Insufficient investment and limited innovation capacity could hinder India’s long-term growth. Aligning India’s economic momentum with comprehensive higher education reforms and targeted skills development is essential. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation, set out in the 2020 National Education Policy, offers an opportunity for important future research, as does the possibility of leveraging international collaboration through international research partnerships and branch campuses.
- Increase Research and Development investment: India’s investment in research and development stands at just 0.6% of GDP—substantially lower than the U.S. (3.5%), the U.K. (2.9%), and the OECD average of 2.7% (2022). Boosting R&D funding is critical to driving innovation and competitiveness. This is especially true in green skills, in which the Index identifies a low score for academic readiness. Embedding green skills into curricula and raising investment in green R&D can be a strong catalyst for economic transformation.
- Strengthen Industry-Academia collaboration: Like many countries, India’s higher education sector must work closely with industry to ensure that academic curricula align with evolving business needs. Strengthened industry/academic collaboration should use available local/regional data to evolve curricula in line with industry needs, further improving the Skills fit
By addressing these areas, India can further solidify its position as a global leader in preparing talent for the jobs of the future, says the Index.
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.
Additionally, the QS analysis also makes recommendations for Indian higher education providers that includes:
- Establish lifelong and personalised learning paths for students – the National Education Policy 2020 aims to develop lifelong learning options conducted in online or blended modes and the government has launched the ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) scheme, but there are challenges around literacy and numeracy levels as well as drop-out rates that also need to be given attention
- Implement modularised learning, advancing curricula in alignment with the skills necessary for future innovation and aligning academia to industry needs –India is among the 30% of countries in the Index that are seeing their industries evolve at a rate that is faster than their workforce can adopt new skills. This means that India’s education system needs to align even more closely with employer demands particularly around Academic Readiness in AI, Green and Digital skills
- Develop targeted international research partnerships aligned to local industry needs to drive research innovation and deliver economic growth. This means creating strategic collaborations between universities and international research institutions that directly address the needs of local industries. By aligning research initiatives with sector-specific challenges and opportunities, these partnerships can foster innovation, improve industry competitiveness, and stimulate economic growth.
According to the Index, India also faces challenges in aligning research and industry efforts with emerging global trends, such as green technologies, sustainable infrastructure, and long-term environmental strategies.
Matteo Quacquarelli, said, “Between 2025 and 2030, India’s economy is expected to grow at an average of 6.5% annually putting the country ahead of many competitor economies around the world. But as the economy continues to evolve and innovate, students, graduates and workers need to be supported to keep up with the pace of change in relevant skills required. The 2020 National Education Policy identified the importance of creating an adult education curriculum framework and it is important India’s higher education is fully leveraged to develop the skills and competences that will be required in the future.”
QS Quacquarelli Symonds is the world’s leading provider of services, analytics, and insight to the global higher education sector, whose mission is to empower motivated people anywhere in the world to fulfil their potential through educational achievement, international mobility, and career development. (ANI)