India’s diversity-focused hiring grew 21% year-on-year in May 2026, even as overall white-collar recruitment cooled, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker from jobs platform foundit.
While overall white-collar hiring declined 4% year-on-year and 6% month-on-month, diversity hiring moved in the opposite direction. Women accounted for 56% of all diversity-focused recruitment, though their share narrowed from 68% a year earlier as the mix broadened. Hiring of persons with disabilities tripled over two years, rising from 2% of diversity hires in May 2024 to 12% in May 2026. Recruitment focused on LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse talent expanded to nearly a third of all diversity hires, at 32%.
“While overall hiring has grown more selective, organisations continue to invest in talent areas that support long-term business resilience,” said Tarun Sinha, CEO of foundit. He added that India Inc. is treating inclusion less as a compliance requirement and more as a capability strategy, with diversity hiring expanding into leadership and technology roles.
By sector, IT Software and Services remained the largest recruiter of diverse talent, growing from 23% to 25% of the mix, followed by Consulting and Analytics at 14%. BFSI, FMCG, and Healthcare all maintained gender representation above 60% in their diversity hiring pools. Manufacturing and Automotive, historically slower on DEI progress, edged up from 3% to 4%, a modest shift the report links to EV transition and smart factory investment.
City patterns shifted, too. Bengaluru overtook Delhi-NCR as the leading diversity hiring location, rising from 15% to 19% of the total. Hyderabad recorded the sharpest growth, climbing from 10% to 15% on the back of demand from GCCs, technology firms, and pharma employers.
