Campus hiring in India has bounced back strongly in the financial year 2025, with a 15 per cent rise in companies’ hiring budgets and an average salary hike of 3.91 per cent for future-ready graduates, according to Deloitte’s latest Campus Workforce Trends: Placement Cycle 2025 report.
The study highlights growing employer confidence in students equipped with relevant skills for a fast-changing job landscape.
“We are witnessing a fundamental redefinition of campus hiring, one where skill alignment, early engagement, and long-term retention are interconnected levers of sustainable talent development,” said Neelesh Gupta, Partner at Deloitte India.
The report notes a strategic shift toward skill-first hiring, aided by technology. From smarter screening tools to reimagined internships, companies are focusing on measurable outcomes. Internships now include behavioural and technical assessments, learning agility, cultural alignment, and digital literacy.
This shift has led to a 24 per cent surge in Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) conversions and a 300-basis-point drop in campus attrition.
In a notable trend, 87 per cent of engineering students surveyed are actively pursuing upskilling to remain competitive. Cybersecurity and robotics emerged as the highest-paying tech skills, commanding a 10-20 per cent pay premium. In management, social selling and agile skills are most rewarded.
Despite this, one in three organisations still believes employees lack clarity on the skills required for career growth.
Bengaluru remains the top preferred work location among students for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Hyderabad, which overtook Delhi NCR in 2025.
Tech roles such as software development engineer and data scientist are the most sought after by engineering graduates. Meanwhile, MBA graduates continue to favour careers as management consultants and product managers.
As companies adapt to an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enhanced, outcome-driven approach, early-career hiring is becoming more deliberate, skill-aligned, and future-focused.
