CHENNAI: India’s fresher hiring outlook has strengthened in H2 2026, with overall hiring intent rising to 75%, up from 73% in H1 2026. However, hiring intent in the IT sector has declined to 76% from 81%, even as sectors such as retail, e-commerce and technology start-ups, and manufacturing continue to drive demand for entry-level talent.
According to TeamLease EdTech’s Career Outlook Report, the overall growth reflects sustained employer demand for entry-level talent, led by retail, e-commerce and technology start-ups, and manufacturing. These sectors continue to anchor the country’s fresher hiring momentum.
However, the recovery is not uniform across industries. Compared to H1 2026, fresher hiring intent has declined in IT, falling to 76% from 81%, while Consulting, Telecom, and Marketing & Advertising each dropped by 3%, and Media & Entertainment and Educational Services each declined by 2%.
This indicates that roughly one in three industries tracked in the report scaled back their fresher hiring plans even as the national outlook improved.
Shantanu Rooj, Founder & CEO, TeamLease EdTech, said, "What we're seeing this second half of the year is less about how many freshers get hired, and more about which freshers get hired. Sectors like retail, e-commerce, and manufacturing are scaling up because they're finding candidates who arrive with practical, job-ready skills, not just a degree. IT and Consulting, on the other hand, are being more selective precisely because the skill bar has moved: employers in these sectors now expect freshers to show AI fluency, applied problem-solving, and hands-on project experience from day one, not capabilities they'll build on the job. This shift is exactly why we believe skilling can no longer be an afterthought to education; it needs to be embedded into how freshers learn, right from the classroom, so they're equipped for the roles that are actually growing, not just the ones they hoped for."
Geographically, Bangalore continues to lead fresher hiring intent at 89%, followed by Mumbai at 75% and Chennai at 71%, together accounting for a significant share of India’s entry-level hiring activity.
Among job roles, AI Application Developer, Jr. Semiconductor Design Engineer, Data Centre Operations Associate, Programmatic Advertising Associate, and Inventory & Dispatch Executive have emerged as the most in-demand fresher roles in H2.
To strengthen their employability amid this more selective hiring environment, freshers are increasingly turning to skill-first certifications.
The report identifies Certification in VLSI Chip Design, AI Engineering, Cloud Security, Digital Marketing Analytics, and Good Manufacturing Practices as the top in-demand courses in the second half of the year, each aligned closely with the skill sets employers are prioritising in their hiring decisions.
