State of Hiring: September 2026

Two things are true at once this month. Employers are reporting their strongest hiring intent in years, and the number of open positions is lower than last year. Fewer roles, more applicants for each, and a clear tilt away from IT services toward everything else.

• Non-IT sectors are carrying white-collar hiring. The August index rose 14% on the year, led by staffing, consumer durables, aviation, auto, healthcare and retail. IT and software services grew 11%, below the average for the first time in months. JobSpeak Aug 2026
• Postings are still below last year. Bain's tracker puts India at −5% year on year, which is mild next to France (−40%) or the UK (−9%), but it means more competition per opening. Bain, 17 Sep
• Intent is at a record. 65% of Indian employers plan to add staff in October to December; India tops all 42 countries surveyed. Intent is not a posting, so treat it as direction, not a guarantee. ManpowerGroup MEOS Q4
• Global tech cuts have passed all of 2025 already. 128,536 tech jobs cut across 299 companies by 10 September, with Oracle, PayPal and Uber landing in India this month. Business Standard, 11 Sep
• Formal cover just widened. The EPFO wage ceiling moved from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month from 17 September, bringing 51 lakh more employees under mandatory PF. If you earn between those two numbers, your take-home changes from this month. Cabinet, 16 Sep