India’s young professionals lead the world in AI confidence, but can’t afford to buy a home

MUMBAI: India’s Gen Z and millennial workers are not waiting to be told to use artificial intelligence. They are already ahead of the curve, and pulling away fast. The 15th edition of Deloitte’s Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, released on Wednesday, finds that 85 per cent of Gen Zs and 91 per cent of millennials in India are confident in applying AI at work, comfortably outpacing their counterparts across the globe. The survey polled 806 respondents in India, including 506 Gen Zs and 300 millennials, as part of a wider global sweep of 22,595 people across 44 countries.

The numbers tell a story of a generation that has not just adopted AI but woven it into the fabric of daily work. Over 90 per cent of both cohorts use AI regularly, with 93 to 96 per cent reporting a positive impact. Beyond productivity, they are turning to AI for learning and development, career guidance and managing workplace stress, suggesting it has evolved into something closer to a professional support system than a mere efficiency tool. A third of Gen Zs and 35 per cent of millennials have already completed formal AI training, and appetite for more is strong: 54 per cent of Gen Zs and 60 per cent of millennials want further upskilling opportunities.

Deepti Sagar, chief people and experience officer at Deloitte India, sees the momentum as both an opportunity and a call to action. “Equipping the workforce to add their human perspective to artificial intelligence will ensure that everyone can stay ahead of the game,” she said. “The need of the hour is a role-specific, immersive, comprehensive AI upskilling programme.” She added that training alone is not enough: companies need internal credentialling systems to match AI-skilled talent with cutting-edge projects, and role-based AI skills should become part of employees’ annual KPIs.

Yet beneath the confidence, a harder reality persists. Financial pressure is squeezing life plans in ways that no amount of AI fluency can easily fix. Fifty-four per cent of Gen Zs and 44 per cent of millennials say they have delayed major life decisions because of their financial situation. The strain is sharper among Gen Zs: 37 per cent say they cannot afford a home, compared with 20 per cent of millennials, and 29 per cent describe themselves as financially insecure, against 18 per cent of millennials. Unemployment is the top concern for 27 per cent of Gen Zs; for millennials, at 34 per cent, it ranks even higher, followed by cybersecurity and data protection.

On ambition, the survey finds Indians marching to a different beat. Globally, younger workers are gravitating firmly toward steady, measured career progression over fast-paced advancement. In India, the picture is more mixed, with a near-equal share of both generations valuing both paths, reflecting the sheer diversity of aspiration within these cohorts. Leadership ambitions run high: 96 per cent of Gen Zs and 93 per cent of millennials say they want to reach senior roles, though only 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively name it as their primary goal, with work-life balance and financial independence ranking far higher in the day-to-day calculation.

Purpose, too, is non-negotiable. Ninety-nine per cent of Gen Zs and 98 per cent of millennials link a sense of purpose directly to job satisfaction, and 48 per cent and 41 per cent respectively say they would reject an employer whose values clash with their own. Workplace friendships matter more than employers may realise: those with friends at work are markedly more likely to stay longer and report higher levels of happiness.

India’s young workforce, it turns out, is ambitious, AI-ready and increasingly unwilling to compromise on what matters. The employers who figure that out first will have a considerable head start.