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India's fresher hiring outlook is expected to remain positive in the second half of 2026, with 75 per cent of employers intending to hire fresh talent during July-December, up from 73 per cent in the previous six months, according to a report by TeamLease EdTech.
The report noted that hiring is likely to be led by e-commerce and technology start-ups, retail and manufacturing, while demand for technology-enabled and specialised roles is expected to remain strong. The report, based on responses from 1,097 employers, said e-commerce and technology start-ups and retail recorded the highest fresher hiring intent at 93 per cent each, followed by manufacturing at 89 per cent. The strong hiring sentiment reflects continued digital adoption, consumer-market expansion and industrial growth. FMCG emerged as another strong hiring segment, with 86 per cent of employers indicating an intention to recruit freshers during the current half-year. Travel and hospitality followed at 81 per cent. Information Technology recorded a hiring intent of 76 per cent, while power and energy stood at 74 per cent. Engineering and infrastructure registered 66 per cent, followed by construction and real estate at 64 per cent. The hiring outlook is also encouraging across telecommunications, marketing and advertising, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, logistics and media and entertainment, with hiring intent at 61 per cent, 59 per cent, 54 per cent, 53 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively. Technology and emerging digital capabilities are expected to remain important drivers of recruitment. Among the leading fresher roles identified by the report are AI Application Developer, Junior Semiconductor Design Engineer and Data Centre Operations Associate, alongside Programmatic Advertising Associate and Inventory and Dispatch Executive. The report also pointed to growing demand for specialised skills, including full-stack engineering, cloud security, business analytics, healthcare technology and sustainability and ESG. This suggests that hiring is increasingly shifting from qualification-led recruitment towards capability-led hiring, with employers placing greater emphasis on practical skills, digital readiness, adaptability, accountability and critical thinking. The apprenticeship market is also expected to gain momentum, particularly in manufacturing, engineering and infrastructure and IT, where hiring intent for degree apprentices stands at 48 per cent, 41 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. The report indicated that India's entry-level job market should remain supportive, but opportunities are likely to be increasingly concentrated in sectors undergoing digitalisation, industrial expansion and technology-led transformation. (ANI)
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