Indian startups are increasing hiring in the current fiscal year, with 170,000 job openings. This is a significant growth compared to the 140,000 gross hires that were registered in the last fiscal, as collated by professional staffing agency Xpheno on behalf of the Economic Times. The acceleration of job creation is both new positions and replacements, which is an indication of high competency demand in the startup ecosystem.

Surge in active job openings 

Leading startup executives MobiKwik, CashKaro & EarnKaro, InMobi, and Deel confirmed this tendency, noting proactive recruitment approaches and the growth of talent requirements. The momentum is indicative of a wider belief in long-term growth, despite startups traversing constrained capital.

The analysis conducted by Xpheno shows that the number of active job openings in September 2025 will be 16,000, which is an increase of 23% relative to March 2025. This demand highlights the increasing demand for qualified personnel, especially in white-collar positions. Tech-oriented startups are the major driver of demand, and they remain the foundation of India as an innovation economy.

Some of the most desired jobs include data science, cloud engineering, full-stack development, AI/ML engineering, and digital marketing. The xpheno predicts a significant increase of 60,000-80,000 new jobs in FY26, which is quite high compared to the 35,000 net jobs added in FY25. Co-founder Kamal Karanth observed that the move signifies a second wave of talent acquisition in the industry.

Workforce expansion and business development roles of various companies

Bengaluru-based unicorn InMobi is on the frontline with a bullish recruitment plan next year. Shefali Rai, the CHRO of InMobi and Glance, says that it intends to increase campus intake by two-fold by targeting the best colleges, such as IITs and other leading engineering colleges. InMobi is planning to hire 5%-10% of the best from IITs in the coming year.

Product management, technology, AI/ML, and business development are also positions that the company is actively seeking. Rai recognized the shortage of AI/ML professionals, highly developed data engineers, programmatic ad-tech experts, and senior product executives. InMobi is responding to this by building and acquiring talent in the market by using a build and buy policy, which recruits market experts and develops in-house skills through exposure to global platforms, cross-functional problem-solving, and systematic learning programs.

The current workforce of CashKaro and EarnKaro, which totals approximately 400 employees, will benefit by 20% to 25% in the coming year. Swati Bhargava, a co-founder, noted that the company has 75 current vacancies and will be hiring around 100 additional employees. Employment is concentrated on technology and product jobs, and some of the most crucial jobs are Android developers, Selenium automation testers, PHP/LAMP engineers, React and Rust developers, UI/UX developers, and product managers.

Bhargava stressed that the expansion falls in line with the growth path of the company and its requirement for targeted talent to facilitate product innovation and other user experience-related improvements.

MobiKwik fintech startup currently employing approximately 800 people, is also actively recruiting. According to Swati Singh, the vice president and head of HR, there are more than 50 vacancies in the company across different operations, but software development and business development stand out as a priority.

Singh indicated that there were few highly skilled AI engineers, especially those with practical experience in implementing scalable AI and machine learning solutions. The company is filling this gap by launching focused recruitment campaigns and in-house upskilling, keeping its employees relevant and up to date with the times.

Deel, a global HR and payroll platform with over 6,500 employees operating in 104 countries, has 1,400 employees in India. Software engineering is in the most demand, particularly around AI and security, which Samlal explained as central to the future of work. Deel is hiring engineers, payroll professionals, and customer onboarding team members in India. The company is also diversifying its payroll and legal services teams to help businesses grow internationally.

The general manager, APAC, Deel, and founder of PayGroup, Mark Samlal, said, “Globally Deel is hiring across all functions, including engineering and product, go-to-market, customer success, and operations. The biggest demand is in software engineering, especially around AI and security, as these skills are shaping the future of work.”

Quotation Source: The Economic Times 

Conclusion

The startup industry of India is prevailing in economic headwinds with a strong push in hiring to reach 170K employees by FY26. The demand for tech talent, AI/ML specialists, and product innovators is on fire, whether it could be unicorns such as InMobi, fintech players such as MobiKwik, or global platforms such as Deel. Startups are hiring full-stack teams with a combination of campus recruiting, lateral hiring, and internal upskilling to fuel their next stage of growth. This hiring spree is an indicator of a strong and progressive startup culture as the talent war heats up.