New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): About 85 per cent of Indian professionals are optimistic about promotions, career changes and salary hikes in 2024, a new report showed on Thursday.

According to the online boot camp for digital skills Simplilearn, about 45 per cent of professionals said that they need to upskill to leverage new opportunities in their company or desired field.

"A staggering 65 per cent of respondents are engaged in online certification courses, with 97 per cent affirming that upskilling will significantly augment their career prospects by 2024," said Kashyap Dalal, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Simplilearn.

"These statistics underscore the criticality of upskilling, particularly in burgeoning fields such as data science, AI, and cybersecurity, which are poised to flourish in today's digital economy," he added.

The survey has been conducted among professionals from diverse industries, geographical locations, and career stages.

Among those seeking to upskill, 65 per cent preferred enrolling in part-time online programmes or courses, emphasising the importance of flexible learning options.

Data science and business analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, programme and project management, cloud computing and DevOps, cyber security, product management, and software development emerged as the most sought-after skills among professionals, the report found.