Big Tech added 30,000 jobs in India despite trade tensions
What's the story
Major US tech firms, including Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google, have hired over 30,000 employees in India in the last one year. The hiring surge comes despite ongoing trade tensions between the US and India. The trend highlights India's strategic importance as a global talent hub for specialized skills in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies.
Hiring surge
FAAMNG cohort's highest net new hiring in 3 years
According to data from specialist staffing firm Xpheno, the FAAMNG cohort and their affiliates have recorded the highest net new hiring figure in three years. Between August 2024 and August 2025, they hired over 30,000 employees, marking a year-on-year (YoY) increase of over 30%. This marks a continued strong hiring trend following the previous peak of 37,000 new hires (35% annual growth) recorded in 2022.
Talent retention
Gross hiring at FAAMNG companies
Despite an attrition rate of around 18-20% in the last 12 months, the FAAMNG companies have seen gross hiring rise to 75,000. This includes replacement hiring to compensate for attrition and net new additions. The data shows that Indian tech talent continues to be a critical asset for these companies, even amid geopolitical headwinds and macroeconomic uncertainties.
Strategic hiring
Capability-first hiring
Neeti Sharma, CEO of staffing firm TeamLease Digital, has observed a shift in the hiring mix in FY25 and FY26. She said it has moved from scale-based recruitment to capability-first hiring. The focus is now on building teams that can fast-track AI adoption, bolster cybersecurity, and deliver cloud-native solutions. Most active job openings are in areas like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and product engineering.
Hiring trends
Current active demand from FAAMNG cohort
Kamal Karanth, Co-founder of Xpheno, has revealed that the current active demand from the FAAMNG cohort is mainly in Engineering & IT, program management, product management, and risk & security. He said these roles are mostly mid and senior-level positions. Given the overall moderate pace and selective talent hiring amid a volatile business environment, standard salary negotiation ranges will continue to remain in the bandwidths of 10-25%.
Expansion plans
OpenAI, Microsoft, and Apple are expanding their footprints in India
Despite potential near-term hiring softness as companies evaluate their global strategy roadmaps amid US tariff impact, Big Techs are fast expanding in India. In August, OpenAI announced plans to open its first office in New Delhi later this year. Microsoft leased 2.65 lakh sq. ft. of prime office space in Hyderabad earlier this year while Apple signed a 10-year lease for office floors worth over ₹1,010 crore in Bengaluru.