India’s travel and hospitality sector looks ahead to maintain strong hiring momentum in the second half of FY2026-27, with 81% of employers planning to increase their workforce. The sector’s Net Employment Change (NEC) projects to reach 12.3%, according to TeamLease Services’ Employment Outlook Report.
Blue-collar positions lead hiring demand, with 52% of employers planning recruitment in this category. Sales and marketing roles follow at 50%, while finance positions account for 40% of hiring intent. Meanwhile, information technology roles represent 31% of planned recruitment, and back-office and administration positions account for 22%. These figures highlight demand across frontline operations as well as the supporting functions that keep hospitality and travel businesses running efficiently.
Geographically, Mumbai leads hiring intent in the travel and hospitality sector at 29%, followed by Bengaluru at 27% and Delhi at 20%. Kolkata and Gurugram also feature among the key employment markets, with workforce expansion intentions of 19% and 18%, respectively.
Alongside workforce expansion, the sector expects to offer higher salary increments in FY2026-27. TeamLease Services’ Jobs & Salaries Primer FY2026-27 projects an average salary increase of 9.2% for the travel and hospitality industry, compared with 8.5% in the previous financial year.
According to the report, the expected increase reflects the expansion of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), the growing popularity of experiential tourism; and rising travel demand from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Together, these trends are creating additional requirements for skilled employees across hospitality operations, travel services, and related business functions.
Commenting on the employment outlook, Balasubramanian A, senior vice-president, TeamLease Services, said, “Travel and hospitality is a people-intensive sector where service quality and operational efficiency are closely linked to workforce readiness. As travel patterns evolve and businesses prepare for seasonal fluctuations, employers will need to balance staffing flexibility with the need for consistent customer experiences.”
“Access to the right talent across frontline operations and supporting functions is an important factor in sustaining service standards and building long-term business resilience,” he added.
The Employment Outlook Report for HY2 FY2026-27 draws on a survey of 1,239 businesses across 23 industries and 20 cities in India. TeamLease Services conducted the survey between July and August 2026, providing insights into employers’ hiring expectations for the second half of the financial year.
