Employers across key industries are planning measured yet meaningful compensation increases, with salary increments projected to range between 6.2% and 11.3% across industries, with some city and role-level salary increments reaching up to 13.8%, according to the TeamLease Services’ Jobs and Salaries Primer FY 2025–26.
The report is based on data from 1,308 businesses across 23 industries and 20 cities, providing an outlook on how pay structures are evolving in a workforce shaped by sectoral transformation, skill-based hiring and macroeconomic shifts.
According to the report, the highest salary increments are expected in sectors such as EV and EV infrastructure (11.3%), consumer durables (10.7%), retail (10.7%), and NBFCs (10.4%). Employers in these industries are placing greater value on roles that blend technical expertise, customer interaction and adaptable skill sets. Top roles within industries with the highest salary increment are electrical design engineer (12.4%) in EV and EV infrastructure, in-store demonstrator (12.2%) in consumer durables, relationship executive (11.6%) in NBFCs and fashion assistant (11.2%) in retail.
This shift is driving compensation increases, particularly in Pune (10.4%), Mumbai (10.2%), Hyderabad (10.2%), Bengaluru (10.1%) and Gurgaon (10.1%). A few of the roles within cities are expected to show exceptional salary increments--quality control inspector (13.8%) in Pune, MIS executive (13.4%) in Hyderabad, data engineer (12.9%) in Bengaluru, electrical design engineer (12.6%) in Mumbai, sales executive (12.4%) in Gurgaon.
Across functional areas, sales and marketing roles are projected to see the highest average salary increment at 9.9%, followed closely by engineering (9.5%). Other core functions, such as finance, customer service and back office, blue collar, and HR and administration, are expected to receive moderate hikes of between 8.2% and 8.6%, indicating a balanced growth trend across business-critical areas.
Role-specific data reveals that job profiles requiring a combination of technical knowledge and execution capability are seeing the highest salary hikes. Electrical design engineers are likely to see an increase of 12.4%, followed by in-store demonstrators at 12.2%, mechanical design engineers at 12.1%, and field sales executives at 11.9%. Additionally, positions such as MIS executives and IT support executives continue to experience steady growth, reflecting consistent demand across both frontline and backend operations.
“While showcasing a year of steady salary growth, the report also highlights the ongoing structural evolution in India’s job economy. The projected salary growth, ranging from 6.2% to 11.3%, signals a broader realignment in India’s job and wage landscape. As new-age industries scale rapidly, demand is shifting toward roles that combine technical capability with immediate business impact," said Kartik Narayan, CEO, staffing, TeamLease Services.
“What’s equally telling is the upward momentum in blue-collar wages, where even traditionally stable roles like mechanic and material handler are seeing double-digit hikes. We see this shift as a critical signal for employers to align hiring with new growth engines, and for job seekers to upskill toward relevance and resilience," he added.
The report points to a strong blue-collar rebound. Traditionally stable in wage trends, this segment is now experiencing healthy increments, driven by rising infrastructure investments, the expanding EV ecosystem, and the ongoing revival in real estate and manufacturing. The fastest-growing blue-collar roles are mechanic (10.4%), material handler (10.0%), machine operator (9.9%), and electrician (9.3%). With the increasing competition among skilled operational workers, employers are reshaping their workforce strategies by focusing more on skill certification, retention, and incentive-led engagement.
Top-paying roles include dealer sales managers earning ₹45,400 per month, followed by safety engineers (₹43,500), mechanical design engineers (₹42,000), service engineers (₹41,200), and sales executives (₹40,300).
The report is based on data from 1,308 businesses across 23 industries and 20 cities, providing an outlook on how pay structures are evolving in a workforce shaped by sectoral transformation, skill-based hiring and macroeconomic shifts.
According to the report, the highest salary increments are expected in sectors such as EV and EV infrastructure (11.3%), consumer durables (10.7%), retail (10.7%), and NBFCs (10.4%). Employers in these industries are placing greater value on roles that blend technical expertise, customer interaction and adaptable skill sets. Top roles within industries with the highest salary increment are electrical design engineer (12.4%) in EV and EV infrastructure, in-store demonstrator (12.2%) in consumer durables, relationship executive (11.6%) in NBFCs and fashion assistant (11.2%) in retail.
This shift is driving compensation increases, particularly in Pune (10.4%), Mumbai (10.2%), Hyderabad (10.2%), Bengaluru (10.1%) and Gurgaon (10.1%). A few of the roles within cities are expected to show exceptional salary increments--quality control inspector (13.8%) in Pune, MIS executive (13.4%) in Hyderabad, data engineer (12.9%) in Bengaluru, electrical design engineer (12.6%) in Mumbai, sales executive (12.4%) in Gurgaon.
Across functional areas, sales and marketing roles are projected to see the highest average salary increment at 9.9%, followed closely by engineering (9.5%). Other core functions, such as finance, customer service and back office, blue collar, and HR and administration, are expected to receive moderate hikes of between 8.2% and 8.6%, indicating a balanced growth trend across business-critical areas.
Role-specific data reveals that job profiles requiring a combination of technical knowledge and execution capability are seeing the highest salary hikes. Electrical design engineers are likely to see an increase of 12.4%, followed by in-store demonstrators at 12.2%, mechanical design engineers at 12.1%, and field sales executives at 11.9%. Additionally, positions such as MIS executives and IT support executives continue to experience steady growth, reflecting consistent demand across both frontline and backend operations.
“While showcasing a year of steady salary growth, the report also highlights the ongoing structural evolution in India’s job economy. The projected salary growth, ranging from 6.2% to 11.3%, signals a broader realignment in India’s job and wage landscape. As new-age industries scale rapidly, demand is shifting toward roles that combine technical capability with immediate business impact," said Kartik Narayan, CEO, staffing, TeamLease Services.
“What’s equally telling is the upward momentum in blue-collar wages, where even traditionally stable roles like mechanic and material handler are seeing double-digit hikes. We see this shift as a critical signal for employers to align hiring with new growth engines, and for job seekers to upskill toward relevance and resilience," he added.
The report points to a strong blue-collar rebound. Traditionally stable in wage trends, this segment is now experiencing healthy increments, driven by rising infrastructure investments, the expanding EV ecosystem, and the ongoing revival in real estate and manufacturing. The fastest-growing blue-collar roles are mechanic (10.4%), material handler (10.0%), machine operator (9.9%), and electrician (9.3%). With the increasing competition among skilled operational workers, employers are reshaping their workforce strategies by focusing more on skill certification, retention, and incentive-led engagement.
Top-paying roles include dealer sales managers earning ₹45,400 per month, followed by safety engineers (₹43,500), mechanical design engineers (₹42,000), service engineers (₹41,200), and sales executives (₹40,300).
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