India tech job openings fall 24% year-on-year; demand near six-year lows: Xpheno
A new Xpheno outlook report says active technology job openings in India have dropped to about 1.03 lakh in January 2026, down 24% from the same period last year. While global capability centres show some growth pockets, overall hiring sentiment remains subdued after a slow 2025.
Hiring sentiment remains weak at the start of 2026
India’s technology hiring pipeline has begun 2026 on a softer footing, with active tech job openings falling sharply compared to last year, according to a January outlook report from staffing firm Xpheno. The report pegs active openings at around 1.03 lakh in January 2026 — a 24% decline year-on-year — placing demand among the weakest levels seen in recent years.
The decline follows a sluggish 2025, with the report suggesting that recovery remains uneven and hiring intentions are still cautious. The data indicates that the sector, which previously drove a large share of white-collar job creation, is operating in a more restrained mode as firms balance costs, project pipelines and client demand.
Where demand is still showing up
Even within an overall slowdown, the report highlights that global capability centres (GCCs) account for a meaningful slice of demand and have shown month-on-month improvement in some categories. This suggests the market is not uniformly weak: certain specialised roles and centres tied to long-term product and platform work can continue to hire even when broader IT services pipelines are cautious.
The split in hiring patterns also implies that companies are prioritising roles that deliver immediate business value — such as product engineering, data and platform operations — while limiting headcount expansion where utilisation or deal flow is uncertain.
What it could mean for candidates
- Entry-level opportunities may exist but could be more selective, with stronger screening and skill requirements
- Mid-senior and senior hiring can be slower where budgets are being tightly managed
- Candidates may see increased competition for roles in high-demand niches (cloud, security, data engineering, AI tooling)
In the near term, the key signal to watch will be whether deal activity and discretionary IT spending pick up through 2026, which typically feeds into fresher intakes and broader lateral hiring.