IT freshers with AI/ML skills in demand, command higher salaries

Ramesh Alluri Reddy, CEO of TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, highlighted that candidates with specialized skills, particularly in high-demand areas like AI/ML, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, are often compensated at a premium. “Fresh graduates with these specialized skills can earn starting salaries that are 20-30% higher than their peers, due to the high demand and limited supply of talent in these critical fields. This trend is noticeable across both IT and non-IT industries,” he stated.

In the IT services sector, the average starting salary for freshers ranges between ₹3.5 lakh to ₹6 lakh per annum, depending on the role and the organization. “For IT product companies, the salary can be 50-80% higher, depending on the specific skills and expertise the fresher brings,” he added. According to a recent report by TeamLease Digital, skills in AWS and Microsoft Azure are highly sought after. IT companies are offering salaries ranging from ₹3.6 lakh to ₹4.5 lakh for engineering freshers, and from ₹2.2 lakh to ₹2.8 lakh for non-engineering freshers, as per Xpheno, a specialist staffing company.

Approximately 82% of freshers in the IT services sector fall within the sub-₹5 lakh per annum salary bracket, while 12% earn between ₹5 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh, and about 7% exceed the ₹7.5 lakh mark. In contrast, nearly 48% of fresh graduates in key non-tech sectors like BFSI, manufacturing, and pharma earn ₹2.5 lakh or less annually, with 38% earning between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh per annum.

“Skill-based exceptional packages range from ₹6 lakh to ₹12 lakh per annum, depending on the tech stack, specialization, unique project experiences, and performance in internal skill assessments,” said Krishna Gautam, business head of direct hire - IT at Xpheno.