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India Fresher Hiring Shifts Toward Specialised Skills Across Sectors
Companies in India are still hiring technology workers, but many new jobs are appearing outside traditional IT companies.
The number of technology-related jobs grew, while the IT industry’s share of hiring became smaller.
Fresher hiring overall decreased in July 2026.
Banking, retail, manufacturing, healthcare and global capability centres are offering more technology-related opportunities.
AI jobs made up 4% of fresher hiring, compared with about 1% the year before.
Some AI jobs involve building systems, while others involve analyzing, testing or managing them.
Internships are becoming important because many job postings prefer candidates with practical experience.
Most entry-level jobs paid less than ₹5 lakh per year.
The findings suggest that graduates may need specialised, practical and adaptable skills and should consider jobs across different industries.
India’s IT occupation index rose 10% year-on-year, while the IT industry index fell 6% in July 2026.
Traditional IT companies’ share of fresher hiring declined from 32% in 2025 to 24% in 2026.
Overall fresher hiring fell 10% year-on-year and 2% month-on-month in July.
AI-related roles increased to 4% of fresher hiring, up from about 1% in 2025.
Nearly six in 10 entry-level postings preferred or required internship experience, while two-thirds offered below ₹5 lakh annually.
- Who
- Fresh graduates, technology professionals, employers and global capability centres in India.
- What
- A foundit Insights Tracker survey reported changing fresher hiring patterns, with fewer traditional IT hires and greater demand across sectors and specialised areas such as AI.
- Where
- India, with the largest fresher-hiring share in Delhi NCR, followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.
- When
- The findings cover July 2026, with comparisons against 2025 and the previous month.
- Why
- Employers are seeking more specialised and practical skills, while technology-related work is spreading beyond traditional IT companies.
Broader opportunities across industries
Greater specialisation required
Where graduates can find jobs
Broader opportunities across industries
Technology-related roles are increasingly available in banking and financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, retail and global capability centres, rather than only in traditional IT companies.
Greater specialisation required
The decline in traditional IT companies’ share of fresher hiring means graduates may face fewer conventional technology entry points and need to consider a wider range of sectors.
Skills expected from freshers
Broader opportunities across industries
AI hiring includes accessible roles such as data analysis, prompt engineering, AI operations and AI quality assurance, not only advanced model-development positions.
Greater specialisation required
Employers increasingly value specialised, practical and adaptable skills, with nearly six in 10 entry-level postings preferring or requiring internship experience.
Pay and opportunity distribution
Broader opportunities across industries
Higher-paying entry-level opportunities exist in AI, data science, cybersecurity, semiconductor and product engineering.
Greater specialisation required
About two-thirds of entry-level roles offer less than ₹5 lakh per annum, so the better-paid specialised roles represent a smaller part of the market.
Key facts
- IT occupation index
- Increased 10% year-on-year in July 2026.
- IT industry index
- Declined 6% year-on-year.
- Traditional IT share of fresher hiring
- Fell from 32% in 2025 to 24% in 2026.
- Overall fresher hiring
- Declined 10% year-on-year and 2% month-on-month in July.
- AI fresher hiring
- Rose to 4% from around 1% in 2025.
- Internship experience
- Nearly six in 10 entry-level postings preferred or required it; 42% accepted candidates without it.
- Entry-level pay
- About two-thirds of roles offered below ₹5 lakh per annum, while 12% offered ₹8 lakh or more.
Sources
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