Pune: The subdued hiring sentiment in the IT industry continues to linger, as the July to September post-appraisal quarter was likely to cater to muted replacement demand and selective hiring.“There are so many IT engineers in the market looking for work. Almost everyone wants to switch jobs to get better salaries and growth prospects. But hiring is slow,” said techie Adarsh Agrawal of Aundh.“There are fears of layoffs in many big IT companies, even fresher hiring is stalled. Everyone with experience of over five years is looking to upskill and move to companies with need for specifically skilled workforce,” said tech professional Kajal Mazumdar of Hinjewadi.Founder and CEO of TeamLease Edtech Shantanu Rooj said “The market reflects a combination of replacement hiring and selective expansion — rather than widespread headcount growth. Current industry trends suggest that companies are not replacing every employee who leaves — in parts of the GCC ecosystem, employers are replacing only 70-75 people for every 100 exits, compared with 85-90 a year earlier. Demand is concentrated in product development, digital transformation, specialised engineering, plant operations and customer-facing roles.”FoundIt data indicated that Pune’s hiring market is evolving from role-based recruitment to capability based hiring. Employers are increasingly prioritising specialised expertise in AI, cloud, cybersecurity and advanced engineering over conventional technical skillsets. “The data points towards precision hiring — not hiring freezes. Employers have not pulled back on recruitment altogether. Instead, organisations appear to be replacing talent selectively, while investing in functions that directly contribute to growth,” the data highlighted.Recruiters said candidates with niche skills were receiving multiple interview calls and stronger salary offers, although hiring remained selective and performance-driven. “In Pune, demand is strongest for AI and machine learning, cybersecurity, cloud, data engineering, DevOps and engineering R&D skills. The city’s expanding GCC, automotive and EV ecosystem is also driving hiring for semiconductor design, embedded systems, electronics and digital manufacturing talent. Employers are increasingly prioritising specialised skills over general technology experience,” said Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services.“Demand is stronger for professionals with three to 10 years of experience, especially in technology, engineering, GCCs and manufacturing. Salary increments are generally moderate (8%-15%) for lateral moves, with higher hikes reserved for candidates possessing niche skills,” said Peush Saproo, associate director and head of sales – permanent recruitment, Adecco India.
