Is India's staffing industry witnessing a 5% surge in Q2 FY26?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- 5% QoQ growth in India's staffing sector in Q2 FY26.
- 5.8% YoY growth indicates a positive employment trend.
- Significant contributions from FMCG, e-commerce, and IT sectors.
- IT staffing grew by 16% YoY, showing strong market resilience.
- 92,000 new formal jobs added over the last year.
New Delhi, Dec 17 (NationPress) The staffing sector in India experienced a remarkable quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) growth of 5 percent during the second quarter of the fiscal year 2026 (Q2 FY26), while maintaining an annual growth rate of 5.8 percent year-on-year (YoY), according to a report released on Wednesday.
This increase in employment underscores a strong demand for a formal staffing workforce across various critical sectors. Both the general and IT staffing industries have contributed positively to the overall growth pattern observed in Q2 FY26.
“The General Staffing Industry has recorded a 5 percent QoQ growth in the reviewed quarter and a 5.5 percent YoY increase, driven by demand from sectors such as FMCG, e-commerce, and retail. Moreover, the banking, financial services, and insurance sectors, aided by digital transformation and compliance hiring, have also created new job opportunities,” stated the Indian Staffing Federation in its report.
The IT staffing sector showed even stronger performance with a 16 percent YoY growth and a 4.9 percent QoQ increase, benefiting from the ongoing global demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital services, along with new requirements from Global Capability Centres (GCCs).
“Our federation members have maintained growth, adding 92,000 new formal temporary jobs over the past four quarters,” said Indian Staffing Federation President Lohit Bhatia. He emphasized that this growth momentum is primarily driven by sectors like FMCG, e-commerce, logistics, and energy. The sequential recovery in Q2 FY26 was particularly boosted by a resurgence in the IT consulting sector, largely led by tier-2 tech firms.
“India's IT sector is recovering after a prolonged downturn and is now exhibiting signs of strong resilience, strategically adapting to market dynamics with an increased scale of operations. The growth was significant at 16 percent YoY in Q2 FY26, marking the highest increase in three years,” highlighted ISF Vice President Manmeet Singh.