India's two-speed job market: AI roles and GCCs up, IT services down

At a glance: The Naukri JobSpeak index, published by Info Edge, rose 2% year on year in September 2026 to 3,053. Hiring for AI and machine learning roles grew 20%, while IT and software services hiring fell 4%. Global capability centre (GCC) hiring rose 4%, led by Hyderabad at 23%. For Indian IT companies and multinationals running centres in India, the data points to a market that rewards specialist and senior skills over volume hiring.

The headline: steady, but selective

The Naukri JobSpeak index, which tracks white-collar hiring activity on Naukri.com, stood at 3,053 in September 2026, up from 3,002 a year earlier, a rise of about 2%.

"September's numbers reflect a hiring market that remains steady, but more selective," said Hitesh Oberoi, managing director and chief executive of Info Edge (India) Limited, which owns Naukri. He added that "demand continued to move towards specialised skills, particularly AI, and more experienced professionals."

The sector detail shows how uneven that steadiness is. Auto hiring rose 11% and BPO and IT-enabled services 4%. Insurance, retail, banking and financial services and real estate were broadly stable. IT and software services fell 4%, as did pharma and biotech and FMCG. Healthcare slipped 3%, hospitality and travel fell 11%, and education fell 18%.

Speed one: AI and machine learning

Hiring for AI and machine learning roles rose 20% year on year in September, according to Naukri, continuing a run of growth. Within the IT sector itself, AI and machine learning hiring grew 11% even as overall IT hiring declined.

Naukri's breakdown of AI and machine learning hiring in IT shows the strongest demand at senior levels. Hiring for professionals with 13 to 16 years' experience grew 54%, and for those with eight to 12 years it grew 28%. Fresher AI and machine learning hiring grew 19%, while the four-to-seven-year band was stable.

WCRC analysis: the pattern suggests employers are paying for people who can lead AI programmes and connect them to business outcomes, not only for those who can build models. Mid-career professionals with general technology skills appear to be the group least in demand.

Speed two: global capability centres

Global capability centres, the in-house technology, operations and research hubs that multinationals run in India, increased hiring by 4% year on year. Growth was concentrated in a handful of cities. Hyderabad led with 23%, followed by Chennai at 13% and Pune at 11%. Bengaluru grew 3%, Delhi NCR was stable, and Mumbai and Kolkata declined.

Hyderabad's strength shows up in the overall city data too. White-collar hiring in the city rose 9%, the fastest of the major metros, with Chennai up 6% and Bengaluru and Kolkata each up 4%. Pune was stable, while Delhi NCR and Mumbai each fell 6%.

The slow lane: IT services

Overall IT and software services hiring fell 4% year on year. Within IT, Hyderabad grew 3%, Bengaluru was stable and other metros declined.

WCRC analysis: the contrast between falling IT services hiring and rising GCC hiring is the clearest sign of a structural shift. Work that multinationals once outsourced to Indian IT companies is increasingly being done in their own Indian centres, while AI tools are changing the volume and type of work in traditional service contracts. Both trends reduce demand for large intakes of generalist engineers and increase demand for specialists.

Experience is the premium

Across all roles, hiring at entry and early-to-mid levels was largely stable. The four-to-seven-year band fell 2%. Hiring for eight to 12 years rose 5%, 13 to 16 years 7%, and 16 years and above 5%. Overall fresher hiring rose 1%, with stronger growth in oil and gas (21%), banking and financial services (14%), and pharma and biotech and healthcare (each 10%).

By function, research and development and hardware and network engineering each rose 19%, merchandising, retail and e-commerce 18%, and construction and site engineering 17%.

Oberoi said hiring "is increasingly being driven by specific business and capability needs".

What it means for leaders

• Indian IT services leaders should plan for flat or falling generalist intake and redirect investment to AI reskilling for the four-to-seven-year cohort, where demand is weakest.
• Multinationals running GCCs should expect sharper competition for senior AI talent, particularly in Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, and budget accordingly.
• Location strategy matters. Hyderabad's lead in both overall and GCC hiring makes it the most contested market for talent.
• Build senior technical career tracks. Demand for 13 to 16 years of experience in AI roles shows that experienced engineers who can lead AI work are scarce.
• Treat the flat headline with care. Aggregate stability hides sharp divergence by skill, sector and city.

Quick answers

Q: How did India's white-collar hiring perform in September 2026? A: The Naukri JobSpeak index rose about 2% year on year to 3,053 in September 2026, from 3,002 a year earlier, indicating a stable but selective market.

Q: How fast is AI and machine learning hiring growing in India? A: AI and machine learning hiring rose 20% year on year in September 2026, according to Naukri. Within the IT sector, AI and machine learning hiring grew 11% while overall IT hiring fell 4%.

Q: Which Indian city leads global capability centre hiring? A: Hyderabad. GCC hiring there rose 23% year on year in September 2026, ahead of Chennai at 13% and Pune at 11%, while overall GCC hiring rose 4%.