New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) About 86 per cent of Indian organisations report that AI or Agentic AI is transforming their recruitment processes, with resume screening, assessments and candidate engagement emerging as key use cases, a report showed on Thursday.

India’s campus hiring landscape is becoming more strategic, AI-driven and skills-focused, as organisations increase investment in early-career talent and strengthen internship-to-hire programmes.

Deloitte India’s ‘Campus Workforce Trends 2026’ finds that recruitment budgets rose 19 per cent, while 80 per cent of organisations now have dedicated campus hiring teams.

Resume screening (72 per cent) remains the leading use case, while 35 per cent say AI is creating new entry-level roles or skill requirements, up from 21 per cent in FY25. AI and data skills command 20–25 per cent hiring premiums, while analytical thinking and problem-solving attract 10–15 per cent.

“Internships are becoming a stronger pathway to full-time employment, with PPO conversions improving across degree categories. Behavioural competencies (75 per cent) and learning agility (72 per cent) are the strongest predictors of conversion. Improved talent matching has also reduced infant attrition among Top 10 and Tier 1 hires from 18 per cent to 15 per cent,” the findings showed.

Moreover, compensation grew moderately at 2-4 per cent CAGR from FY22–FY26, while institute tier, specialisation and critical skills increasingly determine pay. Women now account for 50 per cent of the FY26 campus hiring target mix.

Recruitment budgets have increased by 19 per cent as organisations step up investments in early-career talent and build future-ready talent pipelines.

About 35 per cent of organisations say AI adoption is creating new entry-level roles or skill requirements, up from 21 per cent in FY25. AI and data skills attract hiring premiums of 20–25 per cent, while analytical thinking and problem-solving command premiums of 10–15 per cent, said the report.

–IANS

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