68% of Indian Firms Can't Hire for One Skill: AI Security

Sixty-eight percent of Indian organisations say finding cybersecurity candidates with AI experience is now one of their hardest recruiting problems, matching the difficulty of hiring for network engineering and security skills. That figure comes from Fortinet's 2026 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, whose India findings rest on 60 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers surveyed online by Sapio Research in December 2025. The global study covers more than 2,750 respondents across 32 countries and locations.

If you work in security in India, this is a seller's market for a specific skill set. Here's what the numbers actually say.

How bad are breaches for Indian employers?

Ninety-four percent of Indian organisations reported at least one breach in the past 12 months, and 49% reported five or more — up sharply from 34% in 2024. The financial damage is climbing in step:

• 74% said breaches cost them more than $1 million, against 60% a year earlier; the mean cost hit $2.7 million.
• Recovery took longer than a month for 82%, and mean recovery time doubled to 4.0 months from 2.1.
• Attack victims blamed lack of security awareness (63%), lack of cybersecurity skills (61%) and limited leadership understanding and investment (59%).

What does AI adoption look like on the ground?

Nearly universal, and running ahead of staffing. In all, 95% of Indian organisations are using or experimenting with AI-powered security tools, and 92% say those tools help IT and security teams work more effectively. Some 63% would trust AI to act independently on core security functions.

Hiring hasn't kept pace — hence that 68% figure. Looking forward, 73% of respondents expect more AI oversight and governance roles (jobs supervising automated security decisions) to appear within three years. Respondents named AI tool oversight (60%) and security automation (58%) as the skills gaining importance fastest. That's where the next hiring wave sits.

Concerns persist: 47% cited surveillance and privacy violations around the technology, 45% worry about defending against AI-driven attacks, and 57% called compatibility with existing infrastructure the main implementation challenge.

Where does the money and boardroom attention sit?

Cybersecurity is a board-level business priority to a great extent at 78% of organisations, yet only 58% call it a financial priority. Two-thirds (67%) report that board or C-suite members have faced penalties after a cyberattack, and the same share struggle to win approval for extra security staff. Only 62% believe their board fully understands AI-related risks.

By seniority, demand concentrates at the top: 48% of respondents said they need senior-level cybersecurity skills most, ahead of mid-level (23%) and entry-level (17%).

Is training the escape route?

Training budgets are moving. Some 97% of Indian organisations would pay for an employee to earn a certification, up from 82% in 2024, and 93% are likely to invest in AI-related training or certification within the next 12 months. Internal reskilling programmes run at 68%, while 48% buy training from industry vendors.

Carl Windsor, CISO at Fortinet, described cybersecurity as a strategic business risk and said more investment is needed to address AI risks and the skills shortage. Fortinet says it's on track to train 1 million people in cybersecurity this year.

One caveat for practitioners: the India sample of 60 carries a margin of error of 12.7 percentage points at 95% confidence, and manufacturing made up just 8% of respondents — so sector-specific readings deserve care. Still, the direction is clear: with 73% expecting new AI governance roles within three years, the skills premium in Indian cybersecurity is set to widen before it narrows.