Great Learning shared insights on how professionals in India upskilled in 2025, based on behavioural data from over 1 million learners on its platform. The data suggests upskilling has become a mainstream career requirement across industries, roles, and experience levels.
Senior professionals with more than 15 years of experience accounted for over 40% of enrolments in GenAI and AI/ML courses, indicating growing focus on AI capabilities at leadership levels. Software development learning skewed early-career, with 60% of learners having under three years of experience, while data science and cybersecurity drew participation from both early-career and highly experienced professionals.
AI and machine learning were the most in-demand upskilling domain in 2025, with a 17% year-on-year increase in demand, followed by data science, software development, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Freshers and professionals with 0–3 years of experience contributed 48% of total enrolments, with the remaining demand split across mid-career and senior cohorts, suggesting upskilling is spread across career stages.The data also indicates that upskilling demand was driven largely by non-technology sectors: 77% of learners came from industries outside IT/ITES, including BFSI, manufacturing, energy, pharma, and healthcare, while 23% were from IT/ITES. One-third of professionals learning AI came from non-STEM educational backgrounds.
Geographically, 68% of long-term course enrolments came from Tier-1 cities, with strong demand also visible in Tier-2 locations such as Coimbatore, Madurai, and Kochi. Tamil Nadu led contributions from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka, with other states also showing significant participation.
