India’s campus hiring resilient as pay likely to rise up to 7 pc

The report by professional services firm Aon projects median campus compensation to increase by around 2 per cent to 7 per cent year-on-year across major academic streams.

Hiring intentions remain positive across qualifications. Around 56 per cent of organisations surveyed expect to increase recruitment of Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary graduates, while nearly 51 per cent plan to hire more interns. About 40 per cent anticipate higher recruitment of diploma holders and 36 per cent expect to increase hiring of engineering graduates.

Despite these intentions, median intake sizes across several graduate categories have remained largely unchanged.

For Bachelor of Technology graduates, the projected median total cost to company (TCC) for the 2027 cohort across the seven IITs covered by the study is expected to remain around Rs 16.46 lakh. At Tier-1 engineering colleges, median TCC is projected to rise from Rs 13.85 lakh to Rs 14.75 lakh.

TCC includes fixed compensation, one-time cash components such as joining bonuses and annual variable pay, but excludes long-term incentives.

For MBA graduates, projected median TCC at leading IIMs is expected to remain at Rs 26 lakh. At Tier-1 management institutes, the figure is projected to increase from Rs 20.89 lakh to Rs 21.50 lakh.

“Organisations continue to invest in campus talent, yet hiring decisions are increasingly shaped by business demand, specialised skills and graduate readiness. The findings show employers are building early-career pipelines that align more closely with the capabilities they need to support future growth,” said Roopank Chaudhary, Partner and Head of Talent and Rewards Consulting, India, Aon.

Internships remain an important component of the campus recruitment process, with around 90 per cent of organisations across the qualifications surveyed hiring interns. Approximately 80 per cent to 85 per cent also use pre-placement interviews or offers to provide a structured route for converting high-performing interns into full-time employees.

Artificial intelligence is also beginning to influence the way employers evaluate early-career candidates.

“AI is helping organisations assess candidates more effectively by placing greater emphasis on skills, role relevance and job readiness,” said Amit Kumar Otwani, Associate Partner, Talent Solutions, India, Aon.

The offer-to-joining ratio emerged as the most widely tracked campus hiring metric, monitored by 66 per cent of respondents. First-year performance ratings and early voluntary attrition were each tracked by 55 per cent of organisations.

The findings indicate that while campus recruitment remains an important source of entry-level talent, employers are increasingly aligning hiring and compensation decisions with specific business requirements and the skills needed for future growth.