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    PeMa Quadrant · Published April 29, 2026

    Attrition Study of AI and Data Professionals in India

    Attrition Study of AI and Data Professionals in India report cover

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    What the report finds

    5 shifts buyers should know

    01

    Attrition in frontier AI roles like GenAI Engineers and AI Researchers is between 21–45%, driven by rapid technological change.

    Finding 1 of 5

    02

    Experience is a key retention factor, with attrition declining from 23.5% at 1–2 years to 5.3% beyond 10 years.

    03

    Startups and consulting firms have higher attrition rates of 34.5% and 27.6%, respectively, due to dynamic environments.

    04

    Technology and internet sectors lead in attrition at 22.5%, while manufacturing and BFSI sectors show lower rates.

    05

    Mumbai and Chennai exhibit higher attrition at 14.6% each, while Bengaluru has lower attrition at 14.1% due to internal mobility.

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    Abstract

    The attrition study of AI and data professionals in India reveals significant variations in workforce movement across different roles, experience levels, company types, sectors, and geographies.

    The analysis covers 19 roles, 5 company types, 8 sectors, and 6 major cities in 2026. Frontier roles such as GenAI Engineers and AI Researchers experience high attrition rates of 21–45% due to rapid technological changes and demand, while enterprise roles like Data Scientists and Engineers show lower attrition of 5–12% due to stronger organizational integration. Experience plays a crucial role in retention, with attrition decreasing from 23.5% at 1–2 years to 5.3% beyond 10 years. Startups and consulting firms face higher attrition due to dynamic environments, while IT/ITeS firms exhibit stability. Sector-wise, technology and internet sectors lead in attrition, whereas manufacturing and BFSI sectors show lower rates. Geographically, Mumbai and Chennai have higher attrition due to dense opportunity ecosystems, while Bengaluru shows lower attrition supported by internal mobility. The rise of Agentic AI is expected to reshape workforce dynamics, reducing demand for routine roles and increasing the need for orchestration and governance capabilities.

    Methodology

    How vendors were scored

    The research was conducted by analyzing attrition patterns across 19 roles, 5 company types, 8 sectors, and 6 major cities in India for the year 2026.

    X axis

    Market penetration

    • Delivery scale
    • Financial health
    • Customer mindshare

    Y axis

    Technology maturity

    • Technical innovation
    • Value realisation
    • DataOps depth

    The research was conducted by analyzing attrition patterns across 19 roles, 5 company types, 8 sectors, and 6 major cities in India for the year 2026. Data was sourced from reliable industry reports and organizational surveys. The evaluation approach included examining attrition rates by roles, experience levels, company types, sectors, and geographic locations to identify trends and drivers of workforce movement in the AI and data professional landscape.

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    Frequently asked questions

    The PeMa (Penetration and Maturity) Quadrant is AIM Research's 2x2 vendor evaluation framework. It measures each provider's market penetration (clients, deal sizes, geographic spread) and technology maturity (capabilities, platforms, partnerships), and places them as Leaders, Seasoned Vendors, Growth Vendors or Challengers.

    Any enterprise technology vendor active in the relevant market category can request to participate. AIM Research issues an open RFI for each study and invites qualifying vendors via the Research Calendar.

    Vendors are evaluated through a structured RFI process backed by primary research, including vendor briefings, customer references and product evaluations. They are scored across 40+ weighted criteria covering product capabilities, strategy and market impact, and the weighted scores are mapped to one of the four quadrant positions.

    The date of the next edition has not been announced yet. Upcoming studies and their RFI windows are listed on the AIM Research Calendar.

    The overall attrition rate for AI and data professionals in India is reported at 12.3%, with significant variations across different roles, experience levels, and company types.

    Frontier roles such as GenAI Engineers, LLM Engineers, and AI Researchers have the highest attrition rates, ranging from 21% to 45%, due to rapid technological advancements and sustained demand.

    Experience significantly affects attrition rates, with a decline from 23.5% at 1–2 years of experience to 5.3% for professionals with more than 10 years of experience, indicating increased retention with growing expertise.