Cities like Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad are emerging as the new hotspots for career-driven compensation growth, outperforming legacy economic hubs, finds a new report.
The most promising growth stories are playing out beyond the traditional economic centres, finds Indeed’s inaugural PayMap survey, which reveals a significant shift in India’s salary landscape.
The survey is based on responses from 1,311 employers and 2,531 employees, and is aimed at understanding evolving salary benchmarks, sectoral trends and worker sentiment in a post-pandemic economy. Chennai leads the entry-level salary chart, with freshers (0–2 years) earning ?30,100 per month across sectors. Hyderabad, on the other hand, offers the highest mid or senior-level salaries, with professionals earning up to ?69,700 per month at the five-to-eight years of experience mark.
“The salary dynamics are shifting, and employees are increasingly prioritising cities where compensation aligns with both cost of living and career potential. Our data shows that growth is no longer confined to just the biggest metros, opportunity is becoming more distributed,” said Sashi Kumar, head of sales at Indeed India.
The survey also indicates that 69% of employees are of the view that income doesn’t keep pace with the cost of living in their city. This disparity is most pronounced in high-expense metros such as Delhi (96%), Mumbai (95%), Pune (94%) and Bengaluru (93%). Meanwhile, cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata are perceived as more affordable, offering relatively better financial breathing room. The rising cost of urban life isn’t the only deterrent — 69% of employees now express reluctance to relocate, citing not just monetary challenges but also the emotional and practical demands of moving.
At a sector level, IT/ITeS continues to dominate the salary landscape across all experience levels, driven by the ongoing demand for digital and AI-led roles. The other two sectors showcasing strong salary figures are manufacturing and telecom, from entry level to senior levels, with salaries ranging from Rs 28,100 to Rs 28,300 for freshers to Rs 67,700 to Rs 68,200 for those with five to eight years of experience.
Freshers across job roles, varying from software development to HR engineers, earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,500 on average. Roles in product and project management offer the highest pay across experience levels, with mid to senior professionals (five-eight years) earning up to Rs 85,500 per month. UI/UX professionals are now on par with traditional tech roles like software developers, earning Rs 65,000 at senior levels.
This survey was conducted by Valuvox on behalf of Indeed, capturing responses from a total of 3,842 individuals. The employer sample spanned 14 diverse industries, while the employee sample reflected a wide variety of functions, covering 16 distinct job roles.
The most promising growth stories are playing out beyond the traditional economic centres, finds Indeed’s inaugural PayMap survey, which reveals a significant shift in India’s salary landscape.
The survey is based on responses from 1,311 employers and 2,531 employees, and is aimed at understanding evolving salary benchmarks, sectoral trends and worker sentiment in a post-pandemic economy. Chennai leads the entry-level salary chart, with freshers (0–2 years) earning ?30,100 per month across sectors. Hyderabad, on the other hand, offers the highest mid or senior-level salaries, with professionals earning up to ?69,700 per month at the five-to-eight years of experience mark.
“The salary dynamics are shifting, and employees are increasingly prioritising cities where compensation aligns with both cost of living and career potential. Our data shows that growth is no longer confined to just the biggest metros, opportunity is becoming more distributed,” said Sashi Kumar, head of sales at Indeed India.
The survey also indicates that 69% of employees are of the view that income doesn’t keep pace with the cost of living in their city. This disparity is most pronounced in high-expense metros such as Delhi (96%), Mumbai (95%), Pune (94%) and Bengaluru (93%). Meanwhile, cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata are perceived as more affordable, offering relatively better financial breathing room. The rising cost of urban life isn’t the only deterrent — 69% of employees now express reluctance to relocate, citing not just monetary challenges but also the emotional and practical demands of moving.
At a sector level, IT/ITeS continues to dominate the salary landscape across all experience levels, driven by the ongoing demand for digital and AI-led roles. The other two sectors showcasing strong salary figures are manufacturing and telecom, from entry level to senior levels, with salaries ranging from Rs 28,100 to Rs 28,300 for freshers to Rs 67,700 to Rs 68,200 for those with five to eight years of experience.
Freshers across job roles, varying from software development to HR engineers, earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,500 on average. Roles in product and project management offer the highest pay across experience levels, with mid to senior professionals (five-eight years) earning up to Rs 85,500 per month. UI/UX professionals are now on par with traditional tech roles like software developers, earning Rs 65,000 at senior levels.
This survey was conducted by Valuvox on behalf of Indeed, capturing responses from a total of 3,842 individuals. The employer sample spanned 14 diverse industries, while the employee sample reflected a wide variety of functions, covering 16 distinct job roles.
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