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Around 73 per cent of employers intend to hire freshers during January–June 2026, marking a rise of 3 per cent from the previous half‑year, with a shift toward selection frameworks that prioritise demonstrable skills, a report said on Wednesday.

The report from TeamLease EdTech said retail led sectoral intent at 91 per cent, e‑commerce and technology start‑ups at 90 per cent and manufacturing at 85 per cent.

The report highlighted the most in-demand roles in retail are for dark store assistants and inventory management assistants; in e‑commerce and start‑ups for digital sales associates and junior web developers; and in manufacturing for inventory and logistics coordinators and battery assembly technicians.

“The real divide today is between candidates who can demonstrate applied skills and those who cannot,” said Shantanu Rooj, Founder and CEO, TeamLease Edtech.

Some sectors are demonstrating a spiking momentum - Retail hiring intent has jumped 50 percent points, from 41 per cent in H1CY25 to 91 per cent in H1CY26, Rooj added.

Rooj said the market is undergoing a “structural reset” and urged embedding proof‑of‑work into learning pathways.

Freshers with internships, project portfolios, or hands-on exposure are moving faster into growth tracks, while degree-only applicants face longer search cycles, he said.

Fresher hiring intent in travel has surged from 26 per cent to 77 per cent; and Power and Energy saw a surge from 22 per cent to 72 per cent.

Geographically, Bengaluru topped fresher hiring intent at 84 per cent, driven by Information Technology (81 per cent), e-commerce & technology start-ups (90 per cent).

Engineering & infrastructure sector also showed huge demand for fresh talent led by roles for software testing engineer (54 per cent) and digital marketing executive (48 per cent).

Mumbai was ranked second at 72 per cent powered by retail (91 per cent), FMCG (80 per cent), and healthcare & pharmaceuticals (52 per cent), the report said.

In-demand courses that can enhance fresher employability include Certification in Business Analysis, AI and Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, AI-enabled Digital Marketing, and Project Management, the firm suggested.

(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)