Bengaluru: High Demand for Specialized Skills Drives Salaries for Fresh Graduates
As the job market increasingly seeks specialized skills like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and full-stack development, companies are prepared to offer annual salaries ranging from ₹8.2 lakh to ₹10.2 lakh for recent graduates.
Ramesh Alluri Reddy, CEO of TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, noted that candidates with expertise in high-demand fields such as AI/ML, cybersecurity, and cloud computing are often offered premium compensation packages. “Freshers with these specialized skills can expect starting salaries that are 20-30% higher than their counterparts, highlighting the fierce competition for talent in these crucial sectors. This trend is prominent in both IT and non-IT industries,” he explained.
In the IT services sector, entry-level salaries for fresh graduates typically range from ₹3.5 lakh to ₹6 lakh annually, varying by role and organization. In contrast, IT product companies can offer salaries that are 50-80% higher, depending on the specific skills a fresher brings to the table.
According to a recent report by TeamLease Digital, cloud competencies, particularly in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, are currently highly sought after. Salaries for engineering freshers in IT companies typically fall between ₹3.6 lakh and ₹4.5 lakh, while non-engineering freshers earn between ₹2.2 lakh and ₹2.8 lakh, according to Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.
The landscape of entry-level compensation reveals that approximately 82% of freshers in the IT services sector earn below ₹5 lakh per annum. Meanwhile, 12% fall within the ₹5 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh bracket, and a small percentage—7%—earn above ₹7.5 lakh annually. In non-tech sectors such as Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI), manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals, nearly 48% of recent graduates earn ₹2.5 lakh or less per year, while 38% fall into the mid-range of ₹2.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
“Skill-based outlier packages can range from ₹6 lakh to ₹12 lakh, depending on technological expertise, specialization, unique project experiences, and performance on internal skill assessments,” noted Krishna Gautam, Business Head of Direct Hire – IT at Xpheno.
This emerging trend underscores the critical importance of specialized skills in today’s job market, as companies compete fiercely for the talent that can drive their growth in an increasingly digital world.
