AI Skills Salary Premium for Freshers in 2026 — A 27-Year IT Career Consultant’s Honest Take on the 40% Pay Gap
AI skills salary premium for freshers is not a marketing line anymore. It is a number I am watching show up on real offer letters, in real counselling sessions, in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, and Berhampur. I have spent 27 years telling students to ignore hype. I am not going to start hyping this one. But…