Artificial intelligence has quietly taken a corner office in India’s work culture — not as a distant innovation, but as a trusted collaborator. From brainstorming campaign ideas to planning their next career move, 71% of Indian workers now rely on AI to guide decisions, solve problems, and sharpen their professional edge, according to Indeed’s 2025 Workplace Trends Report.

The study, conducted by Valuvox across 14 industries and based on inputs from 3,872 respondents — including 1,288 employers and 2,584 employees — signals a profound shift in the country’s work dynamics.

“AI is no longer just an assistant, it’s becoming a trusted work partner,” the report notes — a statement that reflects both the scale and intimacy of this technological integration.

AI overtakes pay & burnout as workplace priority

For the first time, AI has edged past salary and burnout as the defining force shaping how India works. Professionals now view AI as a mentor, problem-solver, and strategic sounding board — a tool to validate ideas, find efficiencies, and plan career growth.

Seven in ten respondents said they turn to AI for decision-making support, signalling that technology has crossed from convenience into cognition — reshaping the very psychology of work.

The rise of the “skill nomad” and the “micro-retirement”

The report also charts the emergence of new professional behaviours. “Skill nomadism” — the habit of frequently switching roles and upskilling to stay relevant — is fast becoming a norm. So is the idea of “micro-retirements,” where employees take short, planned breaks to recharge or retrain rather than stepping away from work altogether.

These shifts underscore a growing desire for autonomy, flexibility, and balance in the workplace — a new value system where adaptability trumps permanence.

A growing divide between employers and employees

But this evolution isn’t seamless. Nearly 42% of employers interpret emerging trends such as job-hopping, “coffee badging” (brief in-office visits), or quiet quitting as disengagement. By contrast, 62% of employees describe them as strategic coping tools — a way to navigate pressure and pursue growth on their own terms.

Young professionals driving the shift

Leading this transformation are younger professionals redefining what it means to work, learn, and live. About 68% of entry- and junior-level employees report experimenting with new models of career planning and skill-building. Four in ten have blurred the lines between work and personal life through moonlighting, flexible schedules, or brief sabbaticals.

In total, 75% of respondents said they’ve embraced at least one of these modern work behaviours. Flexibility and autonomy (43%) topped the list of motivators, followed by stress and burnout (37%) and job security (30%).

The new equation of success

Indeed’s findings suggest that India’s workforce is entering a defining era — one where professional success is no longer tied to hierarchy or tenure, but to adaptability, creativity, and collaboration with intelligent systems.

AI, once viewed as a disruptive threat, has now become the invisible colleague reshaping not just what Indians do at work, but how they think about work itself.