'Telcos to see 45% rise in hiring, add 6 mn jobs by FY26'

Telecommunication and allied sectors are set to witness 40-45% hiring growth over the next couple of years, with the last 3-6 months recording a 30-36% rise in job offerings.

- Gulveen Aulakh & Devina Sengupta

The demand is expected to be primarily led by emerging segments such as whitespace spectrum, 5G, virtual network operations, network security, IoT in big data, cybersecurity specialists and cloud, recruiters said. Non-tech sectors such as manufacturing, smart cities, robotics, tele-medicine, health tech and drones will also see rising demand, they added.

"On the whole, telecom sector will employ about 6 million people by FY26, from about 4 million in FY22," Munira Loliwala, business head at TeamLease Digital, said, adding that demand and payouts for specialised roles doubled in FY23. The sector saw flat rates of hiring and slight increases in salaries over the last several years.