Hiring across the corporate sector in India remains steady for the next three months, an employment outlook survey by Manpower Group says. The report further reveals that the IT sector is poised to see hiring next quarter, as 46 percent of the employers in the survey responded that they are looking to hire in the next three months.
AI to power IT hiring next quarter
This optimism is driven by strong hiring intent in sectors such as Information Technology, Energy & Utilities, and Financial Services, where companies are actively expanding and accelerating digital transformation”, says Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup India and Middle East.
The employee demand in the IT sector is fuelled by the need for professionals skilled in AI tech.
According to the survey published on Reuters, the private service sector is seeing growth and is hoping for economic benefits from the changing global trade dynamics.
Employment outlook for Q2FY26
The report states that the Net Employment Outlook in the 3rd quarter of the calendar year or Q2 of the financial year, stands at 42 percent in India. This is the second-largest employment outlook globally after the UAE.
The report calculates the employment outlook by looking at the number of employers who want to hire minus the number of employers who want to reduce staff.
The survey reported that in comparison to the previous quarter, the employment outlook in India is down by 1 point; however, on a YoY basis, the employment outlook has improved by 12 points.
Sector-wise employment outlook
Apart from IT hiring, the report shows that the energy and utility sector may clock the strongest employment growth in the coming quarters. The sector is showing a 50 percent employment outlook with an 18-point quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year increase.
Other prominent sectors, industrial and material, finance and real estate, healthcare, and life science, are also showing employment growth outlooks of 54, 43, and 38 percent, respectively.
Global employment outlook
The United Arab Emirates is showing the highest employment growth outlook in the quarter, as 48 percent of companies in the country are expecting to hire employees. After India, Costa Rica also indicates the employment outlook around 41 percent.
Brazil is in 4th place in the global employment outlook, with 33 percent of employers looking to hire.
The Netherlands is the only European country in the top 5 countries in terms of employment growth, as the country’s employment outlook remains at 30 percent