Nearly 6 in 10 tech professionals in India are actively looking for a new job, while fewer than 1 in 5 say they would stay with their current employer if a similar offer came along, according to Talent500’s What Talent Wants 2026 report.
Based on a survey of 2,000 technology, product and data professionals across India, the report highlights what employees want from their next job, from clearer career growth to hands-on AI experience and a better employer reputation.
The findings show that attracting and retaining talent is about more than offering a job. Employers also need to show people how they can grow, learn new skills and build their careers.
Career growth emerges as a key factor
Career progression is a major consideration for professionals evaluating their next move.
According to the report, 87% of respondents said clearly defined career-growth information was very important when considering an employer.
The absence of a visible career path could also deter prospective employees. The report found that 79% would drop an application or decline an offer if an organisation could not provide a clear career path or growth story.
However, only 46% of respondents described their current career path as very clear. Another 32% said it was somewhat clear, while 16% said they had an unclear path and had to figure it out themselves. Seven per cent reported having no career path.
The findings indicate a gap between employees’ expectations of career development and their experience at work.
For employers, making progression opportunities, role expectations and development pathways more transparent could become an important part of their talent proposition.
AI skills gap adds to employee expectations
Access to practical AI experience is another area where employees’ expectations appear to exceed what employers currently provide.
The report found that 71% of respondents considered hands-on AI upskilling important, but only 29% said their current employer delivered it. This was the largest expectation-delivery gap across the six workplace factors examined in the study.
The findings suggest that professionals are looking for opportunities to apply AI in their work rather than relying solely on formal courses or theoretical learning.
For employers investing in AI adoption, this creates a workforce development challenge. Providing employees with practical opportunities to work with AI could help organisations build relevant capabilities while making roles more attractive to talent seeking future-ready skills.
Employer reputation is being assessed before interviews
The process of evaluating a potential employer increasingly begins before candidates enter the recruitment process. The report found that 92% of respondents researched employers on LinkedIn, while 81% visited company websites or careers pages before applying.
Nearly half, or 49%, consulted Glassdoor or AmbitionBox, while 31% used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to research employers.
Employee experiences also carry considerable weight. Former employees were the most trusted source of employer information, cited by 48% of respondents, followed by current employees’ LinkedIn posts at 44%. Company leadership posts were trusted by 23%.
The findings suggest that employer branding is shaped not only by official corporate communication but also by employee experiences, online reviews and information available across digital platforms.
Hiring experience can influence job decisions
The recruitment process itself can affect whether candidates pursue an opportunity. According to the report, 53% of respondents would drop an application or decline an offer because of a poor or slow interview experience.
Unanswered negative reviews were another concern, with 59% saying they would walk away from an opportunity for this reason. Meanwhile, 50% said they would drop an application or decline an offer if leadership was difficult to find information about.
Mandatory five-day office attendance was cited by 25% of respondents as a potential dealbreaker, ranking below the other factors examined in the report.
These findings suggest that candidates assess the broader employment experience, including leadership visibility, recruitment processes and workplace reputation, rather than focusing exclusively on compensation or working arrangements.
GCCs emerge as a preferred career destination
Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are also attracting interest from technology professionals. The report found that 69% of respondents ranked a multinational GCC as their first choice for their next career move.
When evaluating a GCC opportunity, 48% prioritised a clear career-growth path, followed by the global parent brand at 41%, the India centre’s leadership and culture at 36%, and AI or technology exposure at 33%. Compensation was cited by 17%.
The findings suggest that while the reputation of a multinational parent company remains relevant, candidates also consider the opportunities available within the individual centre, including career progression, leadership and the nature of the work.
The preference for GCCs extended beyond professionals already working in these centres. The report found that 64% of respondents employed in IT services, 72% in product companies and 70% in startups ranked a GCC as their first choice for their next move.
Retention requires more than compensation
The findings point to a talent market in which employees are evaluating employers more closely before making career decisions. Clear career pathways, practical AI experience, credible leadership and a positive recruitment experience are emerging as important elements of the employment proposition.
For HR leaders, the challenge is to understand what employees expect from their next opportunity and whether their current organisation can deliver it. While the report identifies job-search intentions and stated preferences among technology, product and data professionals, it does not establish that these factors are the definitive causes of employee turnover across India’s entire workforce.
As organisations compete for technology talent, the report suggests that making career opportunities visible, credible and easy to assess could play an important role in attracting and retaining professionals.
