Only 9% of India's finance aspirants feel ready to compete in AI-driven job market: Study

Only 9% of India's finance certification aspirants believe their current skills are enough to compete in an AI-driven job market, compared with 67% of graduates globally, according to the Finance Talent Pulse 2026 study.

The study found that the gap in AI readiness was the widest difference between the two groups. About 56% of Indian respondents said AI and automation were making it slightly or much harder to get their desired job. This was close to the 59% of global graduates who saw AI as a barrier of some kind.

The study said the two groups are different, and therefore the comparison should be viewed as a directional signal rather than a statistical match.


However, only 9% of Indian finance aspirants felt their skills were already ready for an AI-driven job market, compared with 67% of global graduates.

The study also found limited practical use of AI among Indian respondents. Only 7% said they regularly used AI tools for real financial analysis or modelling work, while 42% said they had never used AI in real financial work.

More than a quarter, or 26%, of respondents said their current exam preparation or coaching did not teach them how to use AI in finance.

Practical, hands-on experience emerged as the biggest concern among Indian finance aspirants, with 42% ranking it as their top concern. This was followed by financial modelling at 35% and AI tools at 18%.

The study said the concern among Indian respondents was more about not having practical experience than competition from other candidates. Peer competition was the top concern for 16% of global graduates, while 35% cited a lack of work or internship experience.

The survey was conducted among 133 India-based CFA, FRM and CA candidates by SSEI and compared with the CFA Institute's 2026 Graduate Outlook Survey of 9,000 graduates across 11 countries.

Sanjay Saraf, Founder and Lead Educator, SSEI, said the gap showed that financial education needs to keep pace with changes in the workplace.

"This gap of 9% vs 67% reflects a deeper challenge that Indian youth face. The curriculum of financial courses and certifications does not match the pace of the world. The curriculum of financial courses and certifications does not match the pace of the world. Our methods of teaching are still not enough to create an AI-ready and AI-native workforce," Saraf said.

The study also found that 89% of Indian respondents considered professional certification more valuable than a postgraduate degree for their careers, compared with 59% of global graduates.

At the same time, 100% of Indian respondents said continual upskilling was important, compared with 95% of global graduates.

The findings point to the need for more practical AI training, applied exercises and real-world financial problem-solving in finance education, the study said. (ANI)