Fresher hiring intent rises to 75 pc, AI skills gain prominence
India's fresher hiring outlook strengthened for the July-December period this year with 75 per cent of employers indicating an intent to hire entry-level talent, according to a report released on Monday.
According to a TeamLease EdTech report, the outlook rose from 73 per cent in the first half. The improvement was led by retail, e-commerce and technology startups and manufacturing which continued to drive demand for fresh graduates, it said.
However, the hiring recovery remained uneven across sectors.
Fresher hiring intent in the IT sector declined to 76 per cent in the second half from 81 per cent in the first half, while consulting, telecom and marketing and advertising each recorded a decline of three per cent.
Meanwhile, media and entertainment and educational services saw fresher hiring intent fall by two per cent, the report said.
TeamLease EdTech Founder and CEO Shantanu Rooj said employers were becoming more selective about the skills they expected from freshers.
Sectors such as retail, e-commerce and manufacturing are increasing hiring as they find candidates with practical and job-ready skills, while IT and consulting employers increasingly expect AI proficiency, applied problem-solving and hands-on project experience, Rooj said.
He said skilling needed to be integrated into education so that freshers were prepared for roles where demand was increasing.
Geographically, Bengaluru recorded the highest fresher hiring intent at around 90 per cent, followed by Mumbai at 75 per cent and Chennai at 71 per cent, according to the report.
It also identified skill-based certifications that could strengthen employability amid a more selective hiring environment.
Certifications in VLSI chip design, AI engineering, cloud security, digital marketing analytics and good manufacturing practices were among the courses identified as being in demand, according to the report.
