India Skills Report 2026

13 Nov 2025

India Skills Report 2026

The India Skills Report 2026 has been released recently. It was based on 100,000+ candidate assessments through the Global Employability Test (G.E.T.).

Key Findings of India Skills Report 2026

  • National Employability Trends:

About the Report

  • Launch: It was the First released in 2014.
  • Published: Jointly by Educational Testing Service (ETS) in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),  All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
  • Purpose: To analyse India’s employability landscape, identify skill gaps, and guide policy, industry, and educational institutions in workforce planning.
  • Theme for ISR 2026:The Future of Work: Gig Workforce, Freelancing, AI-Supplemented Workforce, Remote Work & Entrepreneurship.”

    • Employability in India rose to 56.35%, up from 54.81% in 2025, indicating steady improvement in job readiness.
    • Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities such as Lucknow, Kochi, and Chandigarh are emerging as strong employability hubs, narrowing the urban-rural divide.
    • Over 50% of graduates scored above 60% in the Global Employability Test (GET).
  • Gender Inclusion: Women’s employability (54%) surpassed men (51.5%) for the first time, a historic shift driven by hybrid work models and growth in digital skills.
  • Industry preference: Women now show dominant interest in Legal (96.4%) and Healthcare (85.95%), while men continue to prefer Graphic Design (83.11%) and Engineering Design (64.67%).
  • AI Adoption in Hiring: 70% of IT and 50% of BFSI companies have integrated AI into recruitment processes, a sharp rise from early pilot stages.
  • Hiring Intent for FY 2026–27: Hiring intent rose significantly to 40%, compared to 29% last year, signalling strong expansion across technology, BFSI, healthcare & renewable sectors.
  • Workforce Composition:
    • Permanent employment remains dominant at 72% of the workforce.
    • Gig and third-party roles have grown to 16%, showing maturing flexible work ecosystems.
  • Domain-wise Leaders: Computer Science (80%) and IT engineers (78%) remain the most employable, driven by AI, analytics, and automation roles. 
  • Age-wise Employability: Highest employability is among the 22–25 age group (75.7%), continuing to dominate entry-level hiring.
  • Emerging Skills: Digital fluency and critical thinking rising strongly, led by Maharashtra (68.23%) and Karnataka (54.83%).
  • Skill Shortages Persist: Industries face consistent shortages of AI, cloud, data, and cybersecurity specialists.
  • State Performance:
    • Kerala ranks fourth nationally in employability, behind Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
    • Kerala is among the top 10 preferred States for women professionals, driven by a gender-inclusive labour ecosystem.

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Initiatives Strengthening India’s Skill Ecosystem

  • Skill India Mission (2015): A national mission to train 400+ million youth in industry-relevant skills through formal and informal skilling channels.
  • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Provides short-term training, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), and industry-aligned certifications. 
  • National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS): Encourages companies to hire apprentices by providing financial incentives to industries for apprentice training costs.
  • National Education Policy (NEP), 2020: Integrates vocational education into school and higher education.

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
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हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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