India's IT sector showed signs of recovery in 2025 with total job demand touching 1.8 million roles, marking a 16 per cent increase over the previous year and highlighting renewed momentum in hiring across the industry, according to the IT Workforce Trends in India 2025 report by workforce and talent solutions provider Quess Corp.
According to the report, Global Capability Centres (GCCs) increased their contribution to India's IT hiring market, accounting for about 27 per cent of the total demand in 2025, up from around 15 per cent in 2024.
Product and SaaS firms also expanded hiring selectively, while IT services and consulting recorded modest growth, it said. Startup hiring declined to low single-digit levels amid funding moderation, it stated.
Overall, hiring demand remained strongly tilted towards productivity-ready talent with mid-career professionals (4-10 years of experience) making up 65 per cent of total hiring, compared to 50 per cent in 2024, said the report. Entry-level hiring accounted for 15 per cent of total demand.
The IT Workforce Trends in India 2025 report by Quess Corp is based on secondary sources. It further revealed that contract roles accounted for around 10-11 per cent of total IT hiring in 2025, compared to approximately 8 per cent in 2024, according to the report. The findings showed a gradual increase in the share of contract hiring within overall IT demand during the year.
The report shows an improvement in India's IT hiring activity in 2025 with job demand reaching 1.8 million roles and a larger share of hiring coming from Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and product-led organisations. “Much of the hiring during the year was driven by mid-career professionals, reflecting where demand is strongest across the technology workforce today," Quess Corp CEO of IT Staffing Kapil Joshi said.
AI, cloud and cybersecurity skills saw particularly strong interest, pointing to the increasing complexity of roles being built in India, he said. "Overall, this suggests a technology hiring market that is moving steadily up the value curve. This momentum offers a positive base as hiring conversations carry into 2026." Joshi added.
Looking ahead, the report indicated a continued momentum in IT hiring through 2026, led by specialised digital roles and steady expansion beyond tier II cities. Demand is expected to remain concentrated around AI, cloud, cybersecurity and data-led roles with BFSI, SaaS, telecom and manufacturing among the key hiring sectors, the report said. Overall, hiring activity is likely to remain focused on capability-led growth rather than volume expansion, it said.
Also read: Report signals subdued IT sector growth in FY26
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