The higher education system in India remains constrained with a persistent challenge: a broad gap between academic learning and industry requirements. While many graduates enter the job market each year, employers consistently indicate a skills mismatch, job readiness issues, and a lack of adaptability.
The Career Outlook Report (HY2, July–December 2025) by TeamLease EdTech examines this gap offering insights into employers’ hiring intent for freshers, the most in-demand job roles & skills and the growing importance of apprenticeships in shaping work-integrated learning pathways. This article reviews the findings of this report and outlines practical recommendations for universities and policymakers to bridge the education–industry divide.
Trends and Insights from the Career Outlook Report
Intent to Hire
The intent to hire freshers during July–December 2025 stands at 70%, a 4% decline from January–June 2025 (74%). Yet the overall hiring intent across all experience levels remains steady at 81%, reflecting growing hiring momentum in India’s job market. This is largely driven by startups and SMEs, which are outpacing larger firms in recruiting job-ready, digitally skilled talent.
Fresher Hiring by City and Industry
Fresher hiring intent largely differs across cities and industries. Bangalore (81%), Mumbai (67%), and Chennai (59%) dominate fresher hiring, aligned with their positions as technology, financial, and manufacturing hubs. By sector, the E-commerce & Technology Start-ups (88%), Retail (87%), and Manufacturing (82%) lead the demand for freshers. Short-term drivers such as festive season demand, along with long-term factors like supply chain digitisation and Industry 4.0 adoption are key factors that contribute to this growth.
In-demand Job Roles by Cities
City-level hiring trends show that the demand for different job roles is influenced by local business ecosystems. In the tech hub of Bangalore, UX & UI Designers (82%) and AI Chatbot Developers (76%) are highly sought, while Hyderabad shows strong demand for Full Stack Developers (64%). In Chennai, there is a high demand for Digital Sales Associates (80%), whereas Mumbai has a significant demand for Business Intelligence Analysts (66%). Delhi exhibits strong hiring for QA Automation Engineers (72%). These patterns illustrate how the IT landscape fosters digital-first roles in Bangalore and Hyderabad, while Mumbai and Delhi lean toward service-driven hiring.
Fresher In-Demand Job Roles
In-demand job roles for freshers include Process Automation Analyst, Jr. NLP Developer, Content Marketing Executive, Jr. Actuarial Analyst, and IoT Engineer. These positions call for a blend of technical expertise and soft skills, reflecting a rising need for hybrid skill sets—where employability depends not only on technical proficiency but also on strong interpersonal abilities.
Top Domain Skills, Soft Skills, and Courses
Employers are increasingly seeking domain expertise in areas such as Business Analytics, IoT, Prompt Engineering, Sustainable Energy Systems, Cybersecurity, and AI/ML. Alongside these, soft skills such as adaptive learning, digital fluency, resilience, and active listening are becoming equally critical for workplace success. Courses like Certified NLP Expert, Certified Renewable Energy Professional, Digital Marketing & Analytics, and Business Intelligence Certification serve as key pathways to employment, offering higher education institutions clear guidance for shaping curricula that meet emerging industry requirements.
Degree Apprenticeship Hiring by Industry and City
Degree apprenticeships are proving to be a preferred model of work-integrated learning. Hiring intent is highest in Manufacturing (37%), Engineering & Infrastructure (29%), and Information Technology (18%), each recording 6–7% growth over the previous half-year. Bangalore (37%), Chennai (30%), and Pune (26%) lead at the city level. This trend reflects employers’ drive to establish cost-effective talent pipelines while reducing time-to-productivity.
Recommendations
Build Stronger Industry-Academia Linkages
The drop in overall fresher hiring intent, despite strong demand from smaller firms, highlights the need to strengthen the collaboration between academia and industry. Universities should integrate more practical learning into degree programs, while employers can design structured onboarding with digital-first skill training to bridge the transition gap.
Align Talent Development with Regional Demand
With fresher demand concentrated in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Chennai, and industries like e-commerce, retail, and manufacturing leading recruitment, talent pipelines must be customized for regional demand. Universities can offer additional localised Curricula—technology-focused in Bangalore, service-oriented in Mumbai, and manufacturing-driven in Chennai. Policymakers can further support this through regional skilling clusters tied to industry hubs.
Integrate Hybrid Skills into Education
In-demand roles increasingly require a blended expertise in soft skills and technical skills. Academic institutions should embed certifications in areas like renewable energy, AI/ML, and business analytics within degree programs, while also prioritising adaptability, communication, and teamwork. This dual-track approach prepares students for both immediate employment and long-term career growth.
Expand Apprenticeship Programs
Degree apprenticeship programs, gaining traction in manufacturing, IT, and engineering, must be scaled further for effective outcomes in employability. Employers should utilize such programs as sustainable pipelines of skilled talent, while policymakers can increase the incentives to strengthen adoption in high-intent cities like Bangalore, Chennai, and Pune.
The findings of the Career Outlook Report (HY2, July–December 2025) reaffirm that employability in India depends on aligning education with evolving industry needs. By focusing on hybrid skills, localised talent development, and apprenticeship learning pathways, universities and policymakers can bridge the education–industry divide and prepare graduates to thrive in a dynamic, technology-driven economy.
