Real Estate, FMCG and IT Lead New Jobs in H2 2026 Amid AI Disruption

Nearly four in five senior HR leaders expect companies to create new jobs in the second half of 2026, while 97% expect hiring activity, including new and replacement hiring, to continue over the next six months, according to Naukri’s H2 2026 Hiring Outlook survey.

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The survey, based on responses from more than 540 senior HR leaders and hiring decision-makers, indicates continued confidence in India’s white-collar job market.

At the same time, AI is changing the skills and roles companies are looking for, rather than being seen as an immediate source of widespread job losses.

Real Estate, FMCG and IT Lead Job Creation Outlook

Real estate has the strongest outlook for new jobs creation, with 86% of HR leaders in the sector expecting new roles in H2 2026. FMCG follows at 85%, while IT and technology stands at 83%, up from 79% in the first half of the year.

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Manufacturing and healthcare are at 79% each, while 72% of BFSI HR leaders expect companies in their sector to create new roles.

The findings suggest that hiring demand is not limited to technology. Business expansion, consumer demand and sector-specific growth are also expected to support recruitment across several industries.

Business Development and Marketing Among Key Hiring Areas

Business development is expected to see the highest recruitment, with 45% of HR leaders identifying it as a leading hiring function. Marketing follows at 37%, while IT stands at 31%.

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The demand also varies by sector. BFSI is expected to recruit for core finance roles, while FMCG and manufacturing are likely to focus more on operations. Technology companies continue to prioritise technology and digital roles.

Early-Career Professionals Remain in Demand

The survey indicates that companies will continue hiring professionals at the beginning and early-middle stages of their careers.

Around 62% of HR leaders expect maximum hiring in the 0–3 years’ experience category, while 57% expect the strongest demand for professionals with 4–7 years of experience.

BFSI, healthcare and IT are expected to see stronger entry-level recruitment, with 83%, 61% and 60% of HR leaders in these sectors respectively expecting maximum hiring in the 0–3 years’ category.

Real estate and FMCG, meanwhile, are expected to have stronger demand for professionals with 4–7 years of experience, identified by 81% and 68% of HR leaders in these sectors respectively.

AI Is Not Yet Expected to Cause Widespread Job Losses

The survey does not suggest that AI will create jobs across the board. Instead, it shows that 86% of HR leaders do not expect significant job losses due to AI over the next six months.

At the same time, more than one in five HR leaders in IT and BFSI expect AI to create new roles during the period. IT, marketing and analytics are among the areas most frequently identified for these emerging opportunities.

Hitesh Oberoi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Info Edge, said AI is opening new roles, particularly in IT, marketing and analytics, making continuous skill development increasingly important for organisations and professionals.

Skill Alignment Remains a Hiring Challenge

Despite the positive hiring outlook, finding people with the right capabilities remains a concern. Matching talent skills with job requirements was cited as the biggest hiring challenge by 31% of HR leaders.

Healthcare reported a different challenge, with talent shortage identified as its biggest hiring concern by 39% of HR leaders, followed by skill alignment at 33%.

For employers, this means hiring growth may need to be accompanied by stronger reskilling and upskilling efforts as job requirements continue to change.

Attrition and Salary Expectations

Attrition is expected to remain relatively contained over the next six months. 83% of HR leaders expect attrition to remain below 15%, while 67% expect it to stay below 10%.

Salary growth is also expected to remain moderate. Around 58% of HR leaders expect average increments to remain below 10%, while 28% anticipate increases in the 10–15% range.

What It Means for HR

The Naukri outlook points to a job market that continues to expand even as AI changes the nature of work. The immediate concern for employers appears less about widespread AI-driven job losses and more about whether available talent has the skills required for emerging roles.

For HR leaders, the focus will likely be on hiring for new skills, developing existing employees and keeping workforce capabilities aligned with changing business requirements.

With 79% of senior HR leaders expecting fresh job creation in H2 2026 and 97% expecting hiring activity to continue, the outlook for India’s white-collar employment market remains positive.

However, the ability to build and find the right skills could be as important as the number of jobs companies create.