Archive · 7 Sep 2026
India Diversity Hiring Rose Despite Overall Recruitment Decline
A survey looked at hiring in India during May 2026.
Overall, companies hired fewer white-collar workers than they did a year earlier.
However, hiring from diverse groups increased by 21%.
Women made up more than half of this diversity-focused hiring.
The share of jobs going to people with disabilities also grew.
Information technology companies provided the biggest share of these opportunities.
Bengaluru and Hyderabad had the largest city shares.
Diversity hiring included entry-level, mid-level and senior jobs.
Large companies and Global Capability Centres provided most of these opportunities.
Diversity-focused hiring in India rose 21% year-on-year in May 2026, while overall white-collar recruitment fell 4%.
Women accounted for 56% of diversity-focused recruitment, the largest candidate-group share.
Hiring of persons with disabilities reached 12%, up from 2% in May 2024.
Bengaluru led city-level diversity hiring with 19%, followed by Hyderabad at 15%.
Mid-level roles made up 44% of diversity hiring, while entry-level and senior roles accounted for 38% and 18%, respectively.
- Who
- Indian employers, including large enterprises, multinational companies, Global Capability Centres, startups and sector-specific firms, were covered by the foundit Insights Tracker survey.
- What
- Diversity-focused hiring increased while overall white-collar recruitment declined.
- When
- May 2026, with comparisons mainly against May 2025 and, for persons with disabilities, May 2024.
- Where
- India, with Bengaluru and Hyderabad recording the largest reported city shares.
- Why
- The survey reflects changing recruitment patterns across candidate groups, sectors, cities and job levels.
- Diversity hiring change
- Up 21% year-on-year in May 2026
- Overall white-collar hiring
- Down 4% compared with May 2025
- Women’s share
- 56% of diversity-focused recruitment
- Persons with disabilities
- 12% in May 2026, compared with 2% in May 2024
- Leading sector
- Information Technology and software services, with 25% of diversity hiring
- Leading cities
- Bengaluru accounted for 19% and Hyderabad for 15%
- Employer type
- Large enterprises, including multinational companies and Global Capability Centres, accounted for 60%