Adecco India Projects 12–15% Growth in Tech Jobs for 2026; Talent Gaps Loom in AI, Cybersecurity and Data Engineering

Bangalore: Adecco India has forecast a 12–15% rise in overall technology jobs in 2026, with hiring expected to add nearly 1,25,000 new roles across IT, IT services, GCCs, start-ups, and non-tech sectors. However, the firm warns of a ~45% talent deficit in critical areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and data engineering, as demand for these roles surges by 51%.

Key Trends

• AI, Data & Cybersecurity: Once considered discretionary, these roles have become core organisational needs.
• Generative AI adoption: 40% of large enterprises have operationalised pilots.
• Cybersecurity: Elevated to board-level priority in GCCs.
• Automation in non-tech sectors: BFSI, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, logistics, energy, and telecom are embedding AI and data capabilities into operations.

Sectoral Hiring Outlook

• IT & IT Services: Hiring showed early signs of stabilisation in 2025, with demand rising for AI engineers, cloud specialists, and cybersecurity talent. Campus intake grew 12% year-on-year.
• Start-ups: Deep-tech, fintech, health-tech, and SaaS firms expanded engineering and data teams, with demand for ML engineers and cloud security talent up ~45%.
• GCCs: Hiring rose 20% in 2025, with continued momentum expected in 2026.
• Non-tech industries: Accounted for ~42% of tech-aligned hiring in 2025, with BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing leading demand.

Talent Shortages

Adecco’s demand-supply mapping highlights acute shortages across sectors:

• IT & ITES: 55–60% deficit in roles such as data scientists, cloud architects, AI/ML engineers.
• GCCs: 40–45% deficit in cloud and full-stack roles.
• BFSI/Fintech: 43–45% deficit in cybersecurity and big data roles.
• Telecom: 45% deficit in embedded software and 5G/6G engineers.
• Logistics/Energy: 46% deficit in SAP consultants, RPA developers, and edge computing engineers.

Diversity Challenge

Women account for only 32% of overall tech hiring in India. Representation is lower in AI (~20%) and cybersecurity (~17%), though data and analytics roles show ~30% female participation where structured diversity programs exist.

Adecco’s Response

Sanketh Chengappa, Director and Business Head, Professional Staffing, Adecco India, said: “2026 marks a decisive recovery in tech hiring as demand shifts from experimentation to enterprise deployment. Adecco is working closely with universities, training institutes, and corporates through skilling partnerships and a Hire-Train-Deploy model to bridge capability gaps and build next-generation tech teams.”

He added that non-tech industries are embedding AI and cybersecurity talent into the core of their business models, with BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing leading the shift.