Active tech job openings in India rose 9% month-on-month to 119,000 in March 2026, the highest in over three quarters, though still 19% lower than a year earlier, according to Xpheno.
The increase suggests early signs of recovery in hiring demand across the country’s technology sector after several quarters of slow growth. According to the latest Active Tech Jobs Outlook report by staffing specialist Xpheno, the rise follows another increase in February and points to a gradual improvement in hiring activity.
“Active Tech Jobs sustain the upswing,” the report noted, highlighting that the demand level seen in March is the highest in more than three quarters. However, the broader trend still reflects a slowdown that began in the second half of 2022.
Full-time roles continue to dominate hiring. Of the 119,000 active openings, about 88,000 are full-time positions, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all jobs in the sector. Contract roles, internships and part-time positions together make up a smaller share but also showed month-on-month growth.
Mid-senior level professionals remain the most sought after. These roles account for around 63,000 openings, or more than half of the total tech job demand. Entry-level roles saw a modest increase to about 15,000 positions, though they remain lower than last year.
Among industry segments, IT services firms continue to be the biggest recruiters, with around 46,000 active openings. Software product companies and global capability centres (GCCs) also showed steady demand, while hiring from funded startups remained comparatively smaller.
The demand for technology skills is also spreading beyond traditional tech firms. The report shows that non-tech sectors now account for a larger share of tech and engineering hiring, signalling a shift in how companies across industries are building digital capabilities.
Geographically, hiring remains concentrated in major technology hubs. Bengaluru leads with around 28,000 openings, followed by Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Pune. At the same time, smaller cities are seeing a gradual rise in opportunities, reflecting wider adoption of remote and hybrid work models.
Overall, while the rise in March signals improving momentum, hiring levels remain below last year, suggesting the sector is still in a cautious recovery phase.