Campus hiring resilient but employers get choosier: Aon report

India's campus hiring market remains resilient, but employers are becoming more selective about skills and roles, according to Aon's 15th annual Campus Study Report 2026-27. The report, published on 30 September, found that 56% of organisations plan to increase hiring of Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary graduates, 51% expect to hire more interns, 40% intend to recruit more diploma holders, and 36% foresee higher hiring of engineers. However, median intake sizes have not moved significantly, indicating that resilience is not translating into broad-based volume increases.

Projected campus pay is expected to rise by 2% to 7% year-on-year across major streams. Median total cost to company for the 2027 cohort at seven IITs remains close to Rs 16.46 lakh, while at Tier-1 engineering colleges it is projected to rise from Rs 13.85 lakh to Rs 14.75 lakh. At top IIMs, median TCC stays at Rs 26 lakh. Internships remain a key entry route, with 90% of organisations hiring interns and 80% to 85% using pre-placement interviews to convert strong performers into full-time employees.