Why upskilling to new tech roles, not your work sector, will command wage premium

Recruitment firm Adecco's research shows new-age jobs are growing by 15-30 per cent and attracting a salary advantage of up to 40 per centNot all jobs in new-age sectors are growing equally. While sectors such as EVs, renewables, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) and fintech are expanding rapidly, it is the roles linked to new technologies and workflows that are growing the fastest and commanding a significant wage premium.Research by recruitment firm Adecco, done exclusively for INDIA TODAY, shows that new-age sectors might be growing the fastest, but within them, it is the new-age roles that are growing by 15-30 per cent and commanding a wage premium of 12-40 per cent. The traditional roles are growing in the usual range of 4-7 per cent.These roles include charging infrastructure specialist, EV design engineer, Hydrogen safety manager in the EV sector, renewable project engineer in the renewables sector, product manager, data scientist, AI engineer, AML specialist in BFSI and fintech, amongst others.Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital, explains that as technology changes rapidly, two things are happening: one, new job roles are coming up, such as in AI, cybersecurity and cloud technology, which are in high demand; and since these technologies are new, the talent comes at a premium. What is also happening is that due to the integration of AI in work processes, a lot of job roles are evolving. For instance, in BFSI, a credit risk analyst doesn’t need only analytical skills but also those of AI. Similarly, in the semiconductor sector, engineers are required to work with AI and manufacturing since physical AI will expand in manufacturing in a big way. So, those engineers who have upskilled in robotics and AI will gain an edge.Peush Saproo, associate director and head of sales for permanent recruitment, Adecco India, shares that in new and upcoming sectors (EV, for instance), the first rung of talent comes from the existing sectors as it is very expensive and often unviable for companies to hire expatriates. As a result, talent that upskills first in emerging technologies and learns on the job are able to charge a premium. They become leaders in the space and transfer the knowledge to the rest waiting to learn new skills, and then become frontrunners to take up new emerging roles such as of AI risk analyst, design engineering, Agentic AI specialist, etc.This is evident in sector after sector. A traditional role in BFSI or manufacturing will continue to see steady but modest growth of 4-7 per cent while an AI-augmented or tech-integrated version of a similar role can command growth of 15-30 per cent and pay premiums of up to 40 per cent.The message from the data is clear: it isn't the sector you're in but the skills you carry that will determine your pay cheque and career growth. Being part of a hot sector like EVs, renewables or fintech is no longer a guarantee for faster growth or better pay. The real premium goes to those who have taken the effort to stay ahead of the curve and upskilled themselves in emerging technologies.NEW-AGE ROLES: THE ADVANTAGENew-age sectorTraditional counterpartHiring growth % (New-age)Hiring growth % (Traditional)Wage premiumTalent deficitKey driver of hiring growthTop rolesEVICE auto manufacturing15-20%3-6%15-20%HighPLI-ACC incentives, FAME support, battery gigafactories, charging infrastructure rollout, localisation of componentsEV design engineer, Battery engineer, Embedded software engineer, Functional safety engineer, Power electronics engineer, Charging infrastructure specialistRenewable energyCoal, oil and thermal power18-25%2-5%12-18%HighSolar and wind capacity additions, green hydrogen investments, PLI-backed manufacturing, energy transition commitmentsElectrolyser technology specialist, Grid integration engineer, Hydrogen safety manager, Renewable project engineer, Energy storage engineerSpaceTech and aerospace manufacturingTraditional manufacturing20-30%4-7%20-30%Very highIndian space policy 2023, private space start-ups, IN-SPACe ecosystem, Gaganyaan and satellite programmesPropulsion engineer, Avionics engineer, Satellite payload designer, GNC engineer, Space data scientistDefence and drone technologyTraditional manufacturing18-25%4-7%15-25%HighDefence indigenisation, drone PLI, UAV procurement, autonomous systems investmentsUAV systems engineer, RF and telemetry engineer, Embedded firmware developer, Composite materials scientistSmart urban mobility (Metro/Rapid Transit)Traditional rail and transport10-15%4-6%10-15%ModerateMetro expansion in Tier-2 cities, Smart Cities investments, signalling and automation upgradesCBTC signalling engineer, Urban transit IoT architect, rolling stock engineer, Mobility plannerFintech and digital bankingTraditional banking and financial services7-12%(-15%) to 0%20-35%HighDigital payments growth, embedded finance, open banking, AI-led financial services, compliance techProduct manager, Data scientist, AI engineer, AML specialist, Cybersecurity analyst, Risk analystadvertisementDigital commerce and quick commerceBrick-and-mortar retail12-18%3-5%10-20%Moderate to highDark-store expansion, hyperlocal delivery networks, supply-chain digitisation, category diversificationAutomation engineer, Robotics engineer, Industrial data scientist, Supply chain manager, Category managerSemiconductors and chip designConventional electronics manufacturing20-30%5-8%25-40%Very highSemiconductor fab investments, OSAT facilities, government Semiconductor Mission, GCC expansionVLSI engineer, DFT engineer, Verification engineer, Process engineer, Packaging engineerAI/GenAI and Deep TechTraditional IT services25-35%5-8%30-50%CriticalEnterprise AI adoption, GenAI products, automation, GCC innovation centresAI/ML engineer, GenAI specialist, MLOps engineer, Data scientist, AI productSource: Research by AdeccoSubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Yashwardhan SinghPublished On: Sep 1, 2026 17:32 IST