New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) India’s e-commerce and healthcare sectors lead hiring activity in the first half of FY 2026–27, even as digital skills continue to see strong demand across industries, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The report by TeamLease Services highlighted that sector-wise, hiring demand is led by e-commerce and tech startups with a net employment change (NEC) of 8.9 per cent, followed by healthcare and pharmaceuticals at seven per cent, and manufacturing, engineering and infrastructure at 6.6 per cent.
Moreover, the projected NEC stands at 4.7 per cent for the period, up from 4.4 per cent and 2.8 per cent in the previous two half-years, it said.
The report also said that hiring sentiment in India is showing steady improvement, with 58 per cent of employers planning workforce expansion during the period.
In terms of skills, digital literacy remains the most in-demand capability at 77 per cent, followed by customer experience management (68 per cent) and communication skills (61 per cent).
At the same time, capital expenditure, supply chain realignment and policy incentives continue to support steady hiring in manufacturing and infrastructure-linked sectors.
The improving sentiment is most pronounced among large enterprises, where 74 per cent of firms indicated expansion plans, compared to 57 per cent of mid-sized companies and 38 per cent of small businesses.
On the compensation front, electric vehicle (EV) and EV infrastructure roles are expected to see the highest salary growth at 10.5 per cent, followed by fintech at 9.9 per cent, and healthcare at 9.7 per cent.
Function-wise, hiring intent is strongest in sales and marketing roles, with 54 per cent of employers planning expansion, followed by IT (40 per cent) and finance (39 per cent), reflecting a focus on revenue generation, digital transformation and compliance.
Balasubramanian A, senior Vice-President at TeamLease Services, said that India’s workforce dynamics are increasingly being shaped by structural and policy-led shifts rather than cyclical demand.
“Geographically, hiring activity is concentrated in major urban centres, with Bengaluru leading at 67.9 per cent employer expansion intent, followed by Hyderabad (57.8 per cent) and Pune (56.1 per cent). Mumbai and Chennai are also witnessing steady momentum,” according to the report.
–IANS
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