Job market to bounce back as campus hirings improve in 2025: Deloitte report
New Delhi: Campus hirings bounced back in the 2025 placement season as pre-placement offers increased, with conversions rising by an average of 24% from last year across all degree programmes, Deloitte's Campus Workforce Trends Report 2025 showed. The consulting firm analysed inputs from over 200 organizations and reviewed data from over 500 campuses in this study.
In FY25, compensation increased by 3.9% compared to the 2024 placement cycle across all degree programmes, the report said. Over the past five years, there has been a 3.1% growth among all degrees. Notably, the MBA programme recorded the lowest growth of 1.6% among all degrees.
Additionally, companies increased their campus hiring budgets by 15% to ₹ 4.41 crore in FY25 compared to FY24. This upward momentum underscores a renewed corporate commitment to harness emerging talent, driven by clear foresight and the needs of industry, Deloitte stated.
Among various sectors, technology has emerged as the most preferred choice for students for the fifth year straight, followed by financial services. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector recorded the highest compensation growth compared to last year, followed by the consumer sector. Life sciences/pharma, however, ranked last in growth.
Despite the improvement in the job market, the skill gap stares employers in the face as they hire freshers from across streams. 'Despite rising demand for graduates, only 51% of Indian graduates are considered job-ready, primarily due to gaps in vocational training and practical skills, according to the Economic Survey report 2023-24,' the report adds.
'Skill-based hiring is the new pivot for organizations in the 2025 campus placement cycle. While AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) continue to remain in demand, we are seeing 10-20% pay premium on IoT (internet of things) integration, rapid prototyping, robotics in the engineering side and investment management, M&A / integration management and financial modelling in the management side,' Neelesh Gupta, partner, Deloitte India, told Mint.
'Use of AI for skill-based matching, application parsing and virtual engagement of candidates is being embraced by progressive tech-first organizations,' added Gupta.
The report highlights that to address this, universities and businesses are increasingly prioritizing real-world experience, industry collaborations and continuous learning to prepare students for the modern workforce. Essential components include internships, alumni networks and customized training programmes that equip students with the necessary skills.
'While Tier 1 and Tier 2 campuses record a surge in internship opportunities (2% and 4%, respectively), Tier 3 institutions face a 3% drop, highlighting a widening access gap,' the report also says.
Emerging trends, such as hybrid roles and the demand for digital skills, are transforming recruitment practices and helping graduates get ready for today's job market and its evolving future.
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