India’s Lithium Battery Sector Set to Drive Up to 2 Million Jobs by 2030: Adecco India
Mumbai: India’s lithium-ion battery manufacturing sector is entering a phase of rapid expansion, with the industry expected to generate 1.5 million to 2 million jobs by 2030, according to Adecco India. The company said around 25% of these jobs are expected to be direct employment, with the remaining 75% coming through indirect employment.
Hiring in the sector is projected to grow by 25% to 30% year-on-year, with demand increasingly shifting towards specialised skills in electrochemistry, materials science, battery process engineering, testing, safety and recycling.
The developments come as India moves from an import- and assembly-dependent lithium-ion battery market towards a domestic cell-to-pack manufacturing ecosystem.
According to Adecco India Director and Head of General Staffing Deepesh Gupta, the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells has committed ₹18,100 crore towards 50 GWh of domestic ACC manufacturing capacity, with another 5 GWh allocated for niche chemistries.
A new component manufacturing incentive scheme involving nearly ₹12,000 crore is also under consideration for cathode and anode active materials, copper foil, electrolytes and separators.
India’s battery manufacturing capacity is currently around 60 GWh and is expected to approach 100 GWh by the end of 2026, with gigafactory investments planned across Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana and Telangana.
Battery components drive hiring
Cell manufacturing and battery components are expected to account for the largest share of hiring, at around 42% to 45%. The segment includes cathode and anode active materials, copper foil, electrolytes, separators and precursor chemicals.
Adecco said battery components account for more than 60% of cell costs, while India continues to depend significantly on imported lithium, cobalt and refined battery-grade materials.
Gigafactory clusters in Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat and Haryana are expected to remain the main employment centres. Around 70% of overall hiring demand is projected to come from these clusters, while 30% of new mandates are expected from Tier-2 and Tier-3 industrial corridors as component parks, recycling facilities and supplier networks develop.
Karnataka is expected to account for 24% of hiring demand, followed by Gujarat at 22%, Telangana at 18% and Haryana at 14%.
Specialised battery roles see strong demand
Data shared by Adecco India indicates that several specialised battery engineering roles are expected to record significant hiring growth and salary levels.
| Specialised role | Hiring growth (FY26 vs FY27) | Pay range (7+ years) | Average compensation growth (FY26 vs FY27) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cell Chemistry & Materials Engineer | 25–30% | ₹28–55 LPA | 15–20% |
| Battery Management System (BMS) Engineer | 30–35% | ₹22–45 LPA | 18–25% |
| Gigafactory Process & Manufacturing Engineer | 35–40% | ₹18–35 LPA | 12–18% |
| Battery Testing, Safety & Quality Engineer | 25–30% | ₹20–38 LPA | 15–20% |
| Battery Recycling & Circular Economy Specialist | 30–40% | ₹22–45 LPA | 20–30% |
The strongest hiring growth among the listed roles is projected for Gigafactory Process and Manufacturing Engineers, at 35% to 40%. Battery Recycling and Circular Economy Specialists are expected to see 30% to 40% growth, while BMS Engineers are projected at 30% to 35%.
For professionals with seven or more years of experience, the pay range is projected to be highest for Cell Chemistry and Materials Engineers at ₹28 lakh to ₹55 lakh per annum.
Demand spans different levels of expertise
At the entry level, around 45% of hiring demand is expected to come from process engineering, cell testing, validation and quality functions.
Mid-level hiring, accounting for around 40%, is increasingly focused on BMS engineers, process and automation engineers, and materials and electrochemistry engineers.
At the senior level, which represents around 15% of demand, organisations are expected to seek cell chemistry scientists, functional safety leaders and advanced manufacturing heads.
Adecco estimates that specialised battery talent availability currently trails industry demand by 25% to 30% across electrochemistry, materials science, battery process engineering and functional safety.
Recycling emerges as another employment area
Battery recycling and circular economy manufacturing are also emerging as significant sources of employment as end-of-life battery volumes increase.
Adecco said India currently recycles only a small fraction of its end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, while industry estimates place the potential recycling market at around USD 3.5 billion by 2030.
Hiring in the segment is projected to grow by 25% to 30%, with demand for hydrometallurgy engineers, battery diagnostics specialists and EPR compliance leaders. Salary premiums of up to 30% to 40% are expected amid an estimated skill shortage of 45%.
Sodium-ion batteries open another talent pathway
The industry’s talent requirements are also expected to extend beyond lithium-ion technology.
A 2026 assessment by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), cited by Adecco, estimates that India’s battery demand could reach around 1.3 TWh annually by 2047 and highlights sodium-ion batteries as a potential pathway for diversification.
Components such as cathode materials, hard-carbon anodes, electrolytes and aluminium current collectors could draw on existing capabilities in India’s pharmaceutical, fertiliser, textile and chemical industries.
Adecco also pointed to emerging efforts to commercialise hard carbon derived from agricultural and biological waste for sodium-ion batteries, supported by the Department of Science and Technology and the Technology Development Board.
Reskilling seen as key challenge
According to Gupta, a significant portion of India’s existing electronics and automotive manufacturing workforce will require additional training to transition into gigafactory environments.
Skills such as cell chemistry, cleanroom protocols and battery safety systems are expected to become increasingly important alongside conventional mechanical and electrical assembly capabilities.
Adecco said addressing the talent gap will require faster reskilling of the existing manufacturing workforce, greater industry-academia collaboration with chemical engineering and materials science institutions, and continued investment in specialised battery education.
The assessment is based on insights from more than 30 Adecco India clients.
