India Tech Jobs Hit 1.23 Lakh in October, but Experienced Talent Leads the Hiring Surge

NEW DELHI: India’s technology employment market has climbed to an 18-month high, with 1.23 lakh active openings recorded in October 2026. The recovery is being led by IT services, artificial intelligence and experienced professionals, while fresh graduates continue to face a more competitive market.

India Tech Jobs Reach An 18-Month High

The latest data from staffing firm Xpheno shows active technology openings rose 5% from September and 17% from October 2025. The figures indicate that India Tech Jobs are recovering after reaching their lowest point of the year in June.

However, the headline number does not mean 1.23 lakh people have been hired. The figure represents active technology vacancies available during the month.

The strongest increase came from IT services, which recorded 66,000 openings, up 57% from a year earlier. The sector is also driving much of the current IT Sector Hiring recovery.

Experienced Professionals Take The Biggest Share

The recovery remains heavily weighted toward professionals with existing experience.

Mid-senior positions accounted for 68,000 openings, representing 55% of total active technology demand. Demand for these roles was 19% higher than in October 2025.

Entry-level openings stood at 15,000. Although that was 15% higher year on year, the number fell 6% from September.

That gap means the rise in India Tech Jobs has not translated into an equally strong improvement for fresh graduates. Employers are increasingly looking for candidates who can contribute to current projects with limited training time.

AI Engineering Roles Gain Importance

Artificial intelligence is becoming a major part of the changing hiring mix. Xpheno identified AI engineering, analyst positions and technical leadership among the areas supporting demand.

Core technology and engineering remained the largest functional category, with 61,000 openings.

The growing importance of AI-related skills also fits into India’s wider technology expansion. Earlier developments around AI technology have highlighted how quickly artificial intelligence is moving into different technical and professional fields.

For employers, this means AI Engineering Roles are increasingly being connected to broader technology functions rather than treated as an isolated speciality.

Office-Based Hiring Dominates The Recovery

The location of work is another major feature of the October figures.

Work-from-office positions reached 1 lakh openings, accounting for 81% of active technology demand. Remote openings declined 23% year on year, while hybrid roles fell 19%.

The shift comes as companies continue to place greater emphasis on office-based collaboration and team structures.

The current IT Sector Hiring trend is therefore defined by three factors: stronger demand, greater preference for experience and a clear move toward office-based roles.

Bengaluru Leads As Smaller Cities Gain

Bengaluru remained India’s largest technology hiring centre, with 31,000 active openings. Hyderabad followed with 14,000, while Delhi NCR recorded 9,000.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations collectively recorded 40,000 openings, up 67% from a year earlier.

That growth gives technology professionals outside the traditional major hubs a broader set of opportunities. It also suggests that India Tech Jobs are becoming more geographically distributed as companies expand technology operations beyond the biggest metropolitan centres.

What The Numbers Mean For Fresh Graduates

The October data presents a recovery, but it is not a return to broad-based hiring across every level.

AI Engineering Roles are gaining importance, while mid-senior positions continue to account for the majority of demand. Entry-level vacancies have increased from last year, but their month-on-month decline shows that competition remains high.

The broader IT Sector Hiring recovery is therefore encouraging for experienced technology professionals, but freshers may need stronger practical skills and specialised capabilities to compete for the smaller share of available entry-level positions.