Fresher Job Market News India: IT Q2 Hiring, GCCs and PMIS (30 Oct 2026)

The Q2 results season for Indian IT is over, and new reports on GCC hiring and graduate employment came out this month. Here is what changed for students and freshers in India, with a link to every source, and what to do about it this week.

1. The big five IT firms added people again, but not evenly

Moneycontrol reports that TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro and Tech Mahindra together added a net 13,918 employees in July–September 2026 (Q2 FY27). HCLTech added the most (6,450), followed by Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, while Wipro's headcount fell by 6,716 (ETHRWorld).

What it means: "IT is hiring" is true of some companies and not others. Track each company's campus drives on its own careers page, not just the headlines.

2. GCCs are growing, but freshers are a smaller slice

A Taggd–CII report covered by BusinessLine says 52% of global capability centres (GCCs) in India plan to grow their workforce in FY27. Freshers are expected to make up 16% of GCC hiring, down from 21% in FY26, while people with 1–5 years of experience make up 30%. Demand is led by AI/GenAI, data science, DevOps and full-stack skills.

What it means: GCCs want freshers who look like they already have a year of experience. Internships, real projects and open-source work are how you show that.

3. Fewer graduates are in the job market

Business Standard, citing CMIE data, reports that the share of graduates who are working or looking for work fell to a five-year low in September 2026. CMIE also estimates that the number of employed graduates rose over the past year, while the number actively looking for work fell.

What it means: some graduates are stepping back from the job search, often to study further or prepare for exams. If you keep applying with a sharper CV, you may face less competition than the headlines suggest.

4. The PM Internship Scheme has many seats and few joiners

The Hindu reported on 22 October that, according to official data, 14,620 young people had joined Round III of the PM Internship Scheme against 1,54,366 opportunities posted, which is about 9.5%. The scheme pays ₹9,000 a month. Critics say the low uptake shows the internships need better quality and stipends.

What it means: if you are eligible (check the rules on the official PMIS portal), you will face very little competition for most PMIS seats. Pick a company and a role that will genuinely add to your CV.

What to do this week

• Get one year's worth of proof. With GCCs moving towards 1–5 year profiles, a real internship or a shipped project counts for more than another certificate.
• Look beyond the big IT names. Payroll, CA industrial training, HR, sustainability and clinical-research internships at MNCs are open right now. See today's 15 new internships.
• Build something this week. Productothon 01 is a free student build week from 1 to 5 November, and problem statements drop today. You can enter solo or in a team of up to 4, and it gives you a project with a live link to show recruiters.
• Apply to verified roles early. Every listing on HireDoor jobs is checked against the company's own careers page, and we add new internships every morning.

All figures come from the sources linked above as of 30 October 2026. HireDoor has not independently audited them.