Archive · 30 Sep 2026
India's Campus Hiring Resilient as Employers Narrow Skills and Roles
Aon studied how companies in India plan to hire students and recent graduates.
It found that companies still want young workers, but they are choosing candidates more carefully.
Many companies plan to hire more accounting graduates, interns, diploma holders, and engineers.
Pay is expected to increase for many types of graduates.
Internships are an important way for students to get full-time jobs.
Companies often use interviews or offers before graduation to hire strong interns.
Employers also check whether new hires join, perform well, and stay with the company.
Some companies are using artificial intelligence to help judge whether candidates have the right skills for a job.
Aon says India's campus hiring remains resilient, but employers are becoming more selective about skills and roles.
Hiring plans are strongest for Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary graduates, interns, diploma holders, and engineers.
Projected campus pay is expected to rise 2% to 7% year-on-year across major streams.
About 90% of organisations hire interns, while 80% to 85% use pre-placement offers or interviews to convert interns.
Employers increasingly track offer-to-joining ratios, early performance, and attrition, while using AI in candidate assessment.
- Who
- Aon surveyed organisations involved in India's campus hiring market.
- What
- The Aon Campus Study Report 2026-27 found resilient hiring demand alongside more selective recruitment and moderate salary growth.
- When
- The findings concern the 2026-27 campus hiring cycle, including projected pay for the 2027 cohort.
- Where
- India, including seven IITs and leading management and engineering institutes covered by the study.
- Why
- Employers are focusing more closely on skills, role relevance, job readiness, and early-career outcomes.
- Hiring outlook
- 56% of organisations plan to increase hiring of Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary graduates.
- Intern hiring
- 51% of organisations expect to hire more interns, and about 90% hire interns across covered qualifications.
- Salary growth
- Projected campus pay is expected to rise around 2% to 7% year-on-year across major streams.
- Engineering pay
- Median TCC at Tier-1 engineering colleges is projected to rise from ₹13.85 lakh to ₹14.75 lakh.
- Management pay
- Median TCC at top IIMs is projected to remain at ₹26 lakh; Tier-1 management institutes are projected to reach ₹21.50 lakh.
- Early-career monitoring
- Offer-to-joining ratio is tracked by 66% of respondents, while 82% monitor early attrition.
- TCC definition
- Total cost to company includes fixed pay, one-time cash offers, and annual variable pay, excluding long-term incentives.