India’s antitrust inspectors conducted surprise raids on Jindal SAW and Maharashtra Seamless following a complaint from ONGC regarding alleged bid rigging in certain tenders. The raids, executed in and around New Delhi, involved collecting documents and questioning officials. Shares of both Jindal SAW and Maharashtra Seamless experienced a dip after the news broke.
Campus hiring in India is seeing a strong resurgence, underlining strategic skill alignment and long-term retention, according to a report by professional services firm Aon.
The ‘Campus Study Report 2025-26’, based on a survey of more than 220 organisations, highlights a positive shift in business sentiment, with 73% of the organisations anticipating moderate to high growth. The key sectors driving this optimism are financial institutions, life sciences and consumer goods. The positive outlook is reflected in significantly stronger hiring intent than in 2024.
The report, now in its 14 year, provides an analysis of India’s evolving campus hiring landscape covering trends in compensation, recruitment, onboarding experiences of campus hires and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) and culture.
Sectors such as information technology, industrial and materials, and healthcare are experiencing marked growth. More than 40% of the surveyed companies plan to expand their workforce by over 10% in 2025-26, signalling a broader job market recovery and positioning India favourably amid global economic challenges.
Despite this rebound, compensation growth remains modest across tiers and qualifications. Organisations are focusing on performance incentivisation through variable pay, ranging from 10-12%. While those with a master’s in business administration (MBA) and engineering degrees have seen slight increases in total cost to company, the rise is primarily driven by variable pay and joining bonuses rather than fixed pay. For instance, 67% of the organisations offer short-term incentives or variable pay to MBAs.
“India’s campus hiring is evolving,” said Roopank Chaudhary, partner and head of data solutions for Aon in India. “Organisations are moving from mass recruitment to focusing on candidates with the right skills, early engagement and long-term retention. By prioritising skill alignment and developing talent through internships and workshops, companies can attract, nurture and retain a workforce that meets their business needs and is ready for the future.”
The study further reveals that organisations are increasingly prioritising culture alignment, recognising its critical role in employee retention and performance. In the survey, 53% of the respondents said they saw a direct correlation between performance and culture, highlighting the importance of cultural alignment in driving performance.
Nearly 90% of organisations said they assessed cultural fit during the hiring process, often through human resources interviews and behavioural assessments.
Diversity, especially with regard to gender, has become a focus area for nearly half of the surveyed organisations, with 50% setting gender ratio targets across talent cohorts. Additionally, more than 30% of the organisations visited colleges outside their preferred list to fulfil gender ratio requirements, highlighting gender ratio targets as a top priority for firms.
“Campus hiring is no longer just about filling roles — it’s about shaping the future of the organisation,” said Saachi Verma, associate director, talent solutions for India at Aon and lead author of the study. “While there is a clear focus on strategic hiring, diversity, equity and inclusion and early attrition management, organisations must prioritise building a strong learning and development programme that aligns with the expectations of new roles. To attract and retain top talent, companies must design compelling employee value propositions that go beyond compensation — building a robust learning and development programme to make their workforce future ready.”
