Now Reading: 12,700 tech professionals return from US in 9 months, salary cuts await
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12,700 tech professionals return from US in 9 months, salary cuts await
12,700 tech professionals return from US in 9 months, salary cuts await
As many as 12,700 white-collar technology professionals have returned from the United States to India between January and September 2026, according to data from staffing firm Xpheno. The figure is approaching the record 15,100 returnees recorded in all of 2025 and is expected to surpass it by end of 2026.
The Times of India reports that returning professionals may face salaries equivalent to just 25% to 33% of their US earnings. Kamal Karanth, cofounder of Xpheno, said the Indian tech sector has struggled to maintain consistent hiring momentum since 2021, with employers now prioritising specialised skills such as AI and machine learning over overseas experience.
Xpheno's data shows nearly 14,500 people moved from India to the US in the same period, meaning outbound movement still exceeds the return flow. Karanth indicated that recent H-1B policy changes under the Trump administration could accelerate the shift towards more professionals returning than leaving.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Economic Times and Times of India both report Xpheno's figure of 12,700 technology professionals returning from the US between January and September 2026, placing the data side by side. The Economic Times leads with the return tally and the expectation it will exceed 2025's record 15,100, framing the story as a numbers-driven trend. The Times of India leads with the salary cut awaiting returnees, 25% to 33% of US pay, and devotes substantial space to Kamal Karanth's observation that the Indian tech sector's hiring momentum has been unstable since 2021, and to Neeti Sharma's point that employers now prioritise specialised skills over overseas experience. The Economic Times does not mention the salary compression or the hiring challenge.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
