Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm, released its 14th Campus Study Report 2025-26, providing a comprehensive analysis of India’s campus hiring landscape. Based on responses from over 220 organisations, the report examines trends in recruitment, compensation, onboarding, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and organisational culture, offering stakeholders critical insights for the upcoming placement season.

Positive hiring sentiments
The report indicates a strong resurgence in campus hiring, with 73% of organisations anticipating moderate to high growth. Key sectors driving this optimism include financial institutions, life sciences, and consumer goods.

With a Net Employment Outlook of 43%, well above the global average, over 40% of surveyed companies plan to expand their workforce by more than 10% in FY26. Sectors such as information technology, industrial and materials, and healthcare are witnessing significant growth, signaling a robust job market recovery.

Evolving campus hiring practices
Hiring patterns are shifting, with 47% of campus recruitment occurring between August and September, compared to the earlier June–July period.

Organisations are prioritising early engagement through internships, workshops, and pre-placement offers to build long-term talent pipelines. The focus is moving from credentials to skills-based hiring, aligning talent with evolving business needs. “India’s campus hiring is evolving,” said Roopank Chaudhary, partner and head of data solutions for Aon in India.

“Organisations are moving from mass recruitment to focusing on candidates with the right skills, early engagement, and long-term retention. By prioritising skill alignment and developing talent through internships and workshops, companies can attract, nurture, and retain a workforce that meets their business needs and is ready for the future," he added.

Compensation trends
Compensation growth remains modest, with increases driven by variable pay and joining bonuses rather than fixed pay. For MBA graduates, 67% of organisations offer short-term incentives or variable pay, with 49% providing joining bonuses and 78% offering variable pay ranging from 11–14%.

Graduate compensation remains stable, but joining bonus prevalence has surged from 28% to 77%. BTech and MTech compensation shows muted increases, with recruitment focus remaining on the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Tier 1 colleges, while Tier 2 and 3 institutions see reduced activity.

Emphasis on talent retention and culture
Organisations are increasingly prioritising cultural alignment, with 53% noting a direct correlation between performance and culture. Nearly 90% assess cultural fit during hiring through HR interviews and behavioural assessments.

Early attrition, particularly among MBA and BTech hires, remains a concern, prompting companies to invest in continuous learning and development (L&D) and robust rewards and recognition programs.

Health and wellness are also top priorities for both lateral and campus hires.

Diversity and inclusion efforts
Over 50% of organisations have set gender ratio targets to enhance representation. However, low hiring from women-only colleges, particularly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, indicates an underutilised talent pool, highlighting opportunities for greater inclusion.

The hiring process is seeing increased use of AI-based assessments, gamified tests, and offline interviews. Companies are emphasising bias-free and transparent AI systems to maintain trust and fairness in recruitment.

Organisations are tracking metrics such as offer-to-joining ratios, gender diversity ratios, and internship-to-pre-placement offer (PPO) conversion ratios, which have significantly increased this year. These metrics reflect a stronger focus on pre-joining engagement, diversity, and conversion rates.