Technology1 min read

Engineering enrolments rise 47%, tech jobs fall 70%: Is India's career dream fading?

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The steep hiring slump is primarily fueled by artificial intelligence replacing foundational white-collar responsibilities in programming, software testing, and analysis. Staffing data reveals that recruitment of fresh graduates in the IT-BPM domain has plunged by 56 percent alongside the broader slowdown. This diminished intake threatens to erode future corporate leadership pipelines by cutting off entry-level training opportunities. Consequently, students are urged to build practical problem-solving capabilities or pivot toward skilled trades like plumbing and electrical work.

Key points

  • Automated intelligence tools are heavily diminishing junior roles by handling basic codin…: Automated intelligence tools are heavily diminishing junior roles by handling basic coding, documentation, and customer support.
  • Constricted entry-level intake risks creating future corporate leadership deficits due to…: Constricted entry-level intake risks creating future corporate leadership deficits due to missed foundational training opportunities.
  • Job seekers may need to overcome social biases and pursue practical trades such as automo…: Job seekers may need to overcome social biases and pursue practical trades such as automobile repair and electrical work.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

For generations of Indian middle-class families, the formula for success was simple: study hard, become an engineer, get a campus placement and secure a comfortable life. An engineering degree was almost synonymous with financial security. But with artificial intelligence reshaping the employment landscape, that familiar promise is beginning to look increasingly uncertain.

In a thought-provoking column in

The Times of India, author, columnist and screenwriter

Chetan Bhagat raises an uncomfortable question: are Indian families preparing their children for a job market that is rapidly disappearing?

The numbers certainly warrant attention. According to staffing firm HAN Digital, fresh graduate recruitment in India's IT-BPM sector fell from an estimated four lakh in FY22 to 1.75 lakh in FY26, a decline of 56%. Nasscom data shows that net jobs added by India's technology industry dropped even more sharply, from 4.45 lakh to 1.35 lakh over the same period.

Yet engineering enrolments have moved in the opposite direction, rising from 9.2 lakh to 13.5 lakh, according to data cited in Bhagat's column. The contrast is striking: India now has roughly ten engineering enrolments for…

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