AI and Job Readiness Drive Indian Campus Placements as Aon Study Projects Modest Salary Growth

Campus hiring across India is shifting from volume-driven staffing toward targeted, skills-based evaluations and candidate job readiness, according to the 15th edition of Aon’s Campus Study Report 2026-27, which surveyed over 220 organizations across 12 key industries.

Financial institutions, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and FMCG/consumer durable firms are driving recruitment demand, with clear preferences for data science, engineering disciplines, and operational supply chain capabilities.

Hiring Demand and Intake Patterns

• Role Growth: 56% of surveyed organizations plan to increase hiring of Chartered Accountant (CA) and Company Secretary (CS) graduates, followed by 51% expanding intern hiring, 40% increasing diploma recruitment, 36% expanding engineering hiring, and 40% stepping up lateral onboarding.
• Seasonality: Intake remains heavily concentrated in the August–September window (47% of total campus recruitment), while June–July hiring dipped from 26% to 19%. October–November accounts for 21%, and December–January captures the remaining 13%.
• Median Volume: Median intake stands at 15 MBA hires and 100 lateral hires, supported by positive sentiment where 43% of firms project double-digit revenue expansion.

Projected Compensation (TCC) Total Cost to Company (TCC)—covering fixed pay, one-time joining bonuses, and annual variable pay—is projected to increase by 2% to 7% year-on-year:

• B.Tech / M.Tech: Median TCC for the 2027 cohort across seven tracked IITs is projected at INR 16.56 lakh (up from INR 16.46 lakh for 2026). Tier-1 engineering colleges are projected to increase from INR 13.85 lakh to INR 14.75 lakh, while Tier-3 colleges stand at INR 7.55 lakh.
• MBA: Top IIM median TCC remains flat at INR 26 lakh, while Tier-1 management institutes rise from INR 20.89 lakh to INR 21.50 lakh. Variable pay is included by 72% of firms, and 46% provide joining bonuses.
• General Graduates: Median TCC stands at INR 7.55 lakh for Tier-1, INR 5.45 lakh for Tier-2, and INR 4.71 lakh for Tier-3, with only 23% offering joining bonuses.

"Campus hiring is no longer a staffing exercise; it is an opportunity to build the capabilities and strengthen workforce resilience for long-term success."

Internships and Post-Joining Retention Internships represent the primary pathway to full-time employment:

• Between 89% and 94% of organizations hire interns, led by B.Tech/M.Tech (94%) and MBA programs (93%).
• Full-time conversion rates via pre-placement offers (PPOs) or interviews reach 85% for MBA interns, 81% for B.Tech/M.Tech, 82% for CA/CS, and 83% for B.A/B.Com/B.Sc students.
• Post-Hiring Metrics: 66% of employers monitor offer-to-joining ratios, 55% track early voluntary attrition, and 55% review first-year performance ratings. Early attrition—defined by 51% of firms as exits within Year 1—is predominantly caused by slow career progression and role expectation mismatches.