ET NEWS

Mumbai: India's workforce is projected to expand 4.7 per cent in the first half of FY27, driven largely by growth in e-commerce, tech startups, healthcare, pharma and manufacturing, a report said Wednesday. This improving sentiment is most visible among large enterprises, where 74 per cent indicate expansion, compared to 57 per cent of mid-sized firms and 38 per cent of small businesses, pointing to a scale-driven recovery in employment growth, TeamLease Services projects in its Employment Outlook Report (EOR) for April- September FY27 noted that the momentum carries across sectors, with both digital and core economy industries contributing to the demand. E-commerce and tech startups led with a net employment change (NEC) of 8.9 per cent, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals at 7 per cent, followed by manufacturing, engineering and infrastructure at 6.6 per cent, said the report. It projected an NEC of 4.7 per cent during the period. The report is based on insights from 1,268 employers across 23 industries and 20 cities and was conducted between November 2025 and January 2026. "India's workforce dynamics are increasingly shaped by structural and policy-led shifts rather than cyclical demand. With the implementation of labour codes, 64 per cent of organisations report an increase in employment costs and 80 per cent are redesigning salary structures, businesses are recalibrating workforce models to align with new statutory frameworks," TeamLease Services Senior Vice President Balasubramanian A said.