Tech hiring set to rise in 2026 with ~1,25,000 new roles as AI, Data, and Cybersecurity demand jumps 51%

Mumbai : As the technology landscape continues to evolve, job market is re-shaping continuously, creating mismatch between job openings, talent availability, changing roles for both tech and non-tech profiles. The overall tech job market including permanent, temp and contractual profiles is expected to see a 12-15% uptick in 2026. Driven by sustained expansion across segments, technology hiring in 2026 is expected to add around 1,25,000 new roles. AI, data and cybersecurity roles have shifted from experimental and discretionary to core organisational needs with demand growing 51%.  Additionally, 40% large enterprises have operationalized generative AI pilots. GCCs have elevated cybersecurity to a board-level priority. And, non-tech sectors have accelerated automation, building cross-functional tech teams at scale. In 2025 alone, the talent gap has soared to 44%, creating a talent war and median packages soaring 18% higher than 2024.

Tech hiring in IT, IT Services, Start-up & GCC ecosystem

2025 saw a modest but steady improvement in IT hiring. Demand for AI engineering, cloud modernisation, data platforms and cybersecurity roles picked up, even as overall momentum remained measured and attrition stayed elevated. Mid-tier and specialist IT firms drove much of the activity, while larger providers focused on selective, capability-led additions. Campus intake increased by 12% over CY24, signaling early confidence returning to the sector. The start-up ecosystem also gained traction in 2025, led by deep-tech, fintech, health-tech and SaaS-driven demand. Funding remained selective, but companies with defined AI, platform or cybersecurity strategies expanded engineering and data teams. Demand rose ~45% for ML engineers, data engineers, full-stack developers with AI integration skills and cloud security talent. Early-stage and growth-stage firms accelerated hiring as they shifted from prototype to commercial rollout. Specialist compensation increased 15%, reflecting talent war between IT services, GCCs and large tech enterprises. GCCs continues to rally high on hiring tech roles with demand increasing by 20% compared to CY24. As 2026 approaches, enterprises across categories are expected to scale hiring for niche roles as they move from controlled pilots to full deployment.

Sanketh Chengappa, Director and Business Head, Professional Staffing, Adecco India, said “Hiring in the IT and IT Services sector showed early signs of stabilisation through 2025. After a cautious period in 2023–24, demand began to rebuild in areas tied to AI engineering, cloud transformation, cybersecurity, data platforms and platform modernisation. Campus intake also improved as firms restarted structured early-career programmes. This gradual uptick indicates a sector shifting from restraint to renewal, setting the stage for a more decisive recovery in 2026 as the talent gap widens. Adecco is working closely with universities, training institutes and corporates through structured skilling partnerships, industry-aligned curricula and customised talent development programs to bridge capability gaps and support organisations as they build next-generation tech teams. We are also adopting a Hire-Train-Deploy model to ensure resources are productive from day one while effectively bridging the existing skill gaps. The recent Q3 IT quarter results also resonate the same sentiment.”

Tech profiles in non-tech sectors

Hiring in non-tech sectors strengthened through the year as industries moved beyond routine digitisation and began embedding AI and data capabilities into core operations. BFSI, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, logistics, energy and telecom drove much of this momentum, together contributing ~42% of tech-aligned hiring. Demand concentrated in roles supporting automation, analytics, cyber resilience and data platform expansion. In the GCC, non-tech players across government, financial services, aviation, energy and retail recorded hiring growth of ~30%, reflecting accelerated national digital and cybersecurity mandates.

Freshers and entry-level talent saw 18% demand compared to 2024 CY as companies-built AI, ML and cybersecurity support layers. Most openings clustered in data engineering support, annotation and model operations, cloud administration and Level-1 security monitoring. Compensation at entry level rose by 12%. Mid-level hiring intensified too, reflecting the shift from experimentation to enterprise AI deployment. Organisations are recruiting applied ML engineers, data architects, full-stack engineers with AI integration capabilities, cyber analysts and threat hunters. This cohort accounts for ~35% of all technology hiring, with compensation inflation of 18% across priority positions. Leadership and CXO hiring accelerated ~22% compared to 2024 as companies recognised the need for dedicated AI and security leadership. Mandates for Chief AI Officers, Chief Data Officers, CISOs and engineering heads grew ~18% year-on-year.

Sanketh Chengappa added, “This year marks a clear inflection point for tech hiring in the non-tech industries. Organisations are no longer treating digital as an add-on, they are building AI, data engineering and cybersecurity talent into the centre of their business models. Sectors like BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics are leading this shift, accounting for nearly 38% of tech-driven hiring. Looking ahead to 2026, we expect this shift to accelerate. The talent requirements will broaden sharply, and organisations that invest early in specialised capabilities will be better positioned to meet next year’s growth ambitions. At Adecco, we are prepared to address this growing demand and we are working very closely with our partners to skill / upskill / re-skill the talent pipeline”.

Talent shortage across sectors and diversity hiring

Adecco’s demand-supply mapping highlights acute shortages in several capability clusters. The gap is most pronounced in roles that require cross-disciplinary expertise including technical depth combined with domain, regulatory and business integration knowledge. 

The workforce continues to be male-dominated across advanced tech roles. Women account for ~32% of technology hiring overall in India. Representation in AI is ~20% and cybersecurity ~17%. Data and analytics roles show relatively better with ~30% female participation in markets where structured diversity hiring programs operate.

In conclusion

The coming year will test how effectively IT companies, non-tech enterprises, start-ups and GCC employers can close the widening gap between rapid job creation and the specialised capabilities required to deliver on that growth. With ~45% talent deficit already visible in AI, cybersecurity and data engineering roles, the market is entering a phase where workforce readiness will determine the pace of digital transformation. The challenge ahead is not demand creation but talent availability. Drawing on its global lineage and decades of experience in building future-ready workforces across markets, Adecco is committed to narrowing this divide through industry partnerships, scalable skilling and reskilling programmes, and a continued focus on aligning talent to emerging job architectures by helping organisations build resilient teams in an environment of constant change. The analysis is done basis secondary research and 100+ client base of Adecco India.