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:

• • 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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