Second half of year to ring in new jobs, say HR leaders

New Delhi: Nearly four out of five (79%) senior HR leaders expect companies to create new jobs in the second half of 2026, signalling continued expansion in India's white-collar labour market, according to job platform Naukri's Hiring Outlook survey released on Tuesday.

Some 79% of HR leaders surveyed expect fresh job creation in H2, while 97% expect hiring activity, including new and replacement hiring, to continue over the next six months, Naukri said in a statement.

"With 79% of senior HR leaders predicting new job creation, the H2 2026 Hiring Outlook points to steady acceleration in India's job market," said Hitesh Oberoi, managing director and chief executive, Info Edge. He said AI was also opening up new roles, particularly in IT, marketing and analytics, making continuous skill development increasingly important for organisations and professionals.


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Real estate is the most bullish sector on new job creation, with 86% of its HR leaders expecting fresh roles in H2, followed by FMCG at 85% and IT/tech at 83%. The IT/tech outlook has strengthened from H1, when 79% of its HR leaders expected new job creation. Manufacturing and healthcare follow at 79% each, while BFSI stands at 72%.

The hiring outlook is strongest for business development, marketing and IT roles, with 45%, 37% and 31% of HR leaders respectively expecting these functions to account for the maximum recruitment.

The survey also points to continued demand for younger professionals. Some 62% of HR leaders expect maximum hiring in the 0-3 years' experience band, while 57% expect the strongest demand among professionals with 4-7 years of experience.

BFSI, healthcare and IT are expected to drive entry-level recruitment, with 83%, 61% and 60% of HR leaders in these sectors respectively expecting maximum hiring in the 0-3 years' experience category. Real estate and FMCG, meanwhile, are expected to skew towards mid-level hiring, with 81% and 68% of their HR leaders respectively identifying the 4-7 years band.

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AI, meanwhile, does not appear to be translating into expectations of widespread job losses in the near term. As many as 86% of HR leaders do not expect significant job losses due to AI over the next six months. More than 20% of HR leaders in both IT and BFSI expect AI to create new roles during the period, with IT, marketing and analytics emerging as the areas most frequently identified.

The bigger challenge for employers appears to be ensuring that available talent keeps pace with changing job requirements. Matching talent skills with job requirements was cited as the biggest hiring challenge by 31% of HR leaders. In healthcare, however, talent shortage was the top concern, cited by 39%.