India’s salary story for FY27 is not just about bigger paychecks. It is also about where companies are spending, which industries are expanding, and what skills are becoming indispensable.
The latest TeamLease Jobs and Salaries Primer suggests that salary increments across industries will largely remain in the high single digits. But beneath that broad trend, a clear divide is emerging. Sectors linked to electrification, digital finance, healthcare and energy are pulling ahead, while traditional industries are moving at a more measured pace.
The biggest winners? Not software engineers, but electrical engineers working in the electric vehicle ecosystem.
TeamLease expects Electrical Engineers in the EV and EV Infrastructure sector to receive salary hikes of 11.2 per cent in FY27, the highest projected increment among all entry-level roles covered in the study. Quality Control Inspectors in the same sector could see hikes of 10.9 per cent, while Project Engineers in manufacturing and infrastructure are expected to receive 10.7 per cent increases.
The findings are based on a survey of 1,268 businesses across 23 industries and 20 Indian cities.
EV, FinTech & Healthcare Lead The Pack
Among industries, EV & EV Infrastructure remains the strongest salary-growth engine despite a moderation from last year’s exceptionally high levels.
The sector is expected to record average salary increments of 10.2 per cent in FY27, making it the highest-growth industry in the country. FinTech follows closely at 10 per cent, while Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals and Power & Energy are projected to deliver hikes of 9.7 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively.
These sectors continue to benefit from long-term investment cycles, digital transformation, regulatory momentum and growing demand for specialised talent.
Insurance, Retail, Manufacturing, Engineering & Infrastructure, Agriculture and FMCG form the next layer of growth, with expected increments ranging between 9.1 per cent and 9.5 per cent.
At the other end of the spectrum are Banking, Telecommunications, Construction & Real Estate and Textiles, where salary growth is expected to stay between 8.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent.
The message is clear: industries attracting fresh capital and technology investments are rewarding employees more aggressively.
Engineering & IT Remain The Biggest Winners
If there is one theme running through the report, it is the continued dominance of technical talent.
Engineering is expected to post average salary increments of 9.9 per cent in FY27, making it the fastest-growing function. Information Technology follows closely at 9.8 per cent.
Sales & Marketing is not far behind at 9.7 per cent, reflecting strong demand for customer acquisition, distribution and business development talent.
Finance roles are projected to see 9.5 per cent growth, while HR & Admin and Customer Service & Back Office functions are expected to receive more moderate hikes of 9 per cent and 8.9 per cent, respectively.
Across industries, IT Support Executives repeatedly emerge as one of the hottest roles. They feature among the top increment earners in Information Technology, Healthcare, Banking, FinTech, Logistics, Educational Services and several other sectors.
The growing importance of digital infrastructure appears to be making tech-support roles nearly as critical as software development positions.
Chennai Emerges As India’s Salary Growth Capital
The geography of salary growth is changing.
For years, Bengaluru and Mumbai dominated compensation discussions. FY27 could tell a different story.
Chennai is projected to lead all major cities with average salary growth of 9.7 per cent, followed by Pune and Hyderabad at 9.6 per cent each. Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam are expected to post 9.5 per cent growth, while Bengaluru comes in at 9.4 per cent.
The report attributes this momentum to a combination of GCC (global capacity centres) expansion, manufacturing investments, industrial corridor development and strong enterprise demand.
Perhaps more striking is the rise of emerging cities.
Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Jaipur and Visakhapatnam are now posting salary-growth expectations comparable to established metro markets. The gap between India’s traditional talent hubs and newer employment centres is narrowing rapidly.
Jobs Seeing The Fastest Pay Growth
Several roles stand out across industries and functions.
Among engineering positions, Electrical Engineers lead with projected hikes of 11.2 per cent. Project Engineers follow at 10.7 per cent, while Quality Assurance Engineers and Site Engineers are expected to receive around 10.2 per cent.
In technology, IT Support Executives could see increments as high as 10.5 per cent in some industries, while System Administrators are expected to receive hikes of up to 10.2 per cent.
Sales professionals are also set for strong gains. Relationship Executives in NBFCs are projected to receive hikes of 10.1 per cent. Marketing Executives in automotive companies and Area Sales Managers in FMCG firms could both see 10 per cent increases.
Among blue-collar workers, EV Charger Installation Technicians are expected to receive salary hikes of 10.3 per cent, reflecting the rapid build-out of charging infrastructure across the country.
Financial Reconciliation Analysts in FinTech are projected to receive 10 per cent hikes, underscoring the growing importance of compliance and transaction management in digital finance.
A New Salary Map Is Emerging
One of the report’s biggest takeaways is that salary growth is no longer being driven solely by software developers or large metropolitan cities.
Instead, the strongest momentum is increasingly concentrated in execution-heavy roles. Engineers, quality specialists, project managers, technicians, system administrators and frontline sales professionals are seeing some of the biggest gains.
This shift mirrors the changing structure of India’s economy. Investments are flowing into factories, logistics networks, EV infrastructure, renewable energy projects and digital financial services. Companies are paying more for talent that can build, maintain and scale these systems.
The result is a broader and more diversified salary-growth story.
For job seekers, this means opportunities are no longer limited to traditional technology hubs or software-centric careers. As FY27 unfolds, India’s most valuable employees may not be sitting in corner offices. They may be the engineers installing EV infrastructure, the project managers building factories, and the technicians keeping systems running.