Now Reading: 79% HR leaders expect new jobs in H2 2026, Naukri survey shows
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79% HR leaders expect new jobs in H2 2026, Naukri survey shows
Nearly four in five senior HR leaders expect companies to create new jobs in the second half of 2026, according to Naukri's Hiring Outlook survey. Some 97% expect hiring activity to continue over the next six months. Real estate is the most bullish sector, with 86% of its HR leaders expecting fresh roles, followed by FMCG at 85% and IT at 83%.
The survey of over 540 senior HR leaders found 86% do not expect significant AI-driven job losses in the near term. More than 20% of HR leaders in IT and BFSI expect AI to create new roles, particularly in IT, marketing and analytics. Matching talent skills with job requirements was the biggest hiring challenge cited by 31% of respondents.
Separately, Indeed Hiring Lab data shows job postings in India rose 1.2% in July 2026 after three months of decline, though tech hiring is slowing. Postings for IT infrastructure fell 24.3% and software development dropped 17.5% over three months to July. Healthcare roles saw strong gains, with medical technician postings up 30.3%.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Economic Times leads with Naukri's optimistic HR-leader survey on new jobs, while Livemint leads with Indeed's data showing a modest recovery and a distinct tech slowdown. Both sources agree on AI's limited near-term impact on job losses, but Livemint highlights a shift toward healthcare and care-economy roles as tech hiring softens, a nuance absent from the ET piece. The ET survey focuses on employer intent, whereas Livemint tracks actual posting data, offering a more granular picture of sectoral divergence. Together, they suggest India's white-collar market is expanding overall, but with uneven demand across sectors. The Indeed data on tech decline will test whether the Naukri optimism for IT materializes.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), livemint.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.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
