The report is based on data from 1,308 businesses in 23 industries and 20 cities, providing an outlook on how pay structures are evolving in a workforce shaped by sectoral transformation, skill-based hiring and macroeconomic shifts. According to the report, the highest salary increments are expected in sectors such as electric vehicle (EV) and EV infrastructure (11.3%), consumer durables (10.7%), retail (10.7%) and non-banking finance companies or NBFCs (10.4%). Employers in these industries are placing greater value on roles that blend technical expertise, customer interaction and adaptable skillsets.
Top roles in industries with the highest salary increments are electrical design engineer (12.4%) in EV and EV infrastructure, in-store demonstrator (12.2%) in consumer durables, relationship executive (11.6%) in NBFCs and fashion assistant (11.2%) in retail.
This shift is driving compensation increases, particularly in Pune (10.4%), Mumbai (10.2%), Hyderabad (10.2%), Bengaluru (10.1%) and Gurgaon (10.1%). A few of the roles within cities are expected to show exceptional salary increments-quality control inspectors in Pune (13.8%), MIS executives in Hyderabad (13.4%), data engineers in Bengaluru (12.9%), electrical design engineers in Mumbai (12.6%), sales executives in Gurgaon (12.4%).
Across functional areas, sales and marketing roles are projected to see the highest average salary increment at 9.9%, followed closely by engineering (9.5%). Other core functions, such as finance, customer service and back office, blue collar, and HR and administration, are expected to receive moderate hikes of between 8.2% and 8.6%, indicating a balanced growth trend across business-critical areas. Role-specific data reveals that job profiles requiring a combination of technical knowledge and execution capability are seeing the highest salary hikes. Electrical design engineers are likely to see an increase of 12.4%, followed by in-store demonstrators at 12.2%, mechanical design engineers at 12.1%, and field sales executives at 11.9%. Additionally, positions such as MIS executives and IT support executives continue to experience steady growth, reflecting consistent demand across both frontline and backend operations.
“While showcasing a year of steady salary growth, the report also highlights the ongoing structural evolution in India’s job economy. The projected salary growth, ranging from 6.2% to 11.3%, signals a broader realignment in India’s job and wage landscape. As new-age industries scale rapidly, demand is shifting toward roles that combine technical capability with immediate business impact,” said Kartik Narayan, CEO, staffing, TeamLease Services.