The State of Software Engineer Hiring in India

India is a “global powerhouse for engineering talent,” with millions of experienced software engineers and 1.5 million engineering students graduating each year. 

With the emergence of several prestigious engineering institutions, widespread Internet access that aids in skill development, the established presence of major tech companies, “a large youth population that is ambitious and tech-savvy,” the growth of global capability centers, and a thriving startup ecosystem has made India the perfect environment for cultivating technical talent. It’s the ideal place for global companies to uncover excellent engineers who can skillfully develop new products and innovate.

Understanding Engineer Hiring in India

India is also a complex market to navigate and it requires a deep understanding of its unique challenges and opportunities. For example, although there’s an enormous amount of engineers in India, the competition for talent is fierce. The rush to hire in India is now leaving the country without enough talent to meet demand in fields like AI and data science.

In addition to growing competition, there are many other unique challenges that companies must be ready to overcome if they want to source engineering talent here. Since conducting thousands of technical interviews in India on behalf of clients, Karat has learned a wealth of knowledge about how to effectively hire engineering talent in India. This is why we’ve compiled our first annual State of Software Engineer Hiring in India – 2024 Edition report.

This report offers a helpful starting point for organizations entering India’s hiring landscape so that you can jump into the market equipped with a path to success. In this report we cover four key things you need to know about hiring engineering talent in India: what are the top talent hubs according to Karat’s very-own data, context around the engineering talent pool in India, background information on GCCs, and a breakdown of the engineering hiring funnel unique to India. 

We’ve also identified seven core challenges you can expect to face when sourcing engineering talent from India and tips on how to overcome them. Download the full report here to get started on your hiring journey.