'E-commerce, tech startups lead in sectoral hiring': TeamLease Services

Bengaluru: E-commerce and tech startups are continuing to lead hiring momentum with a Net Employment Change (NEC) of 8.9% in HY1 2026-27, moderating from 11.3% in the previous half-year, staffing company TeamLease Services in its Employment Outlook Report (EOR) for HY1 FY2026-27 (April-September) said.

It said this reflects structured workforce alignment following a high-growth phase, while sustaining strong expansion intent across digital commerce and SaaS ecosystems.

"The outlook is underpinned by rapid market expansion towards a projected $345 billion e-commerce economy by 2030, acceleration in quick commerce, and rural digital penetration supported by BharatNet connectivity," the report stated.

TeamLease projects an NEC of 4.7%, an increase from 2.8% and 4.4% over the previous two half-years, and that this improvement is reflected in employer sentiment, with 58% planning workforce expansion, 26% expecting no change, and 16% anticipating a reduction, indicating a gradual strengthening of hiring confidence across industries.

Apart from e-commerce and tech startups, healthcare and pharmaceuticals lead at 7%, followed by manufacturing, engineering and infrastructure at 6.6%.

In the case of telecommunication, there is an upward shift in hiring intent. This is due to continued 5G rollout intensity and rising Fixed Wireless Access adoption. Hiring is also becoming more defined at a functional level. Sales and marketing lead hiring intent, with 54% of employers expanding teams, followed by IT at 40% and finance at 39%. Hiring is also concentrated in capability-driven urban centres. Bengaluru leads with 67.9% employer expansion intent, followed by Hyderabad at 57.8% and Pune at 56.1%.

Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice-President, TeamLease Services, said, “With the implementation of labour codes, 64% of organisations are reporting an increase in employment costs and 80% redesigning salary structures. Businesses are recalibrating workforce models to align with new statutory frameworks."