India’s Biggest Pay Hikes of 2025: The Secret List of Companies Offering Whopping Salary Increases
India’s salary scene is shifting fast—some sectors are secretly offering double-digit hikes few know about. From EV startups to real estate giants and tech powerhouses, discover where professionals are cashing in record raises in 2025. The next big paycheck wave has begun—are you ready to ride it?
The Salary Boom: Who’s Really Paying More in 2025?
What if your next job switch could boost your income by 12 to 14 percent? That’s not fantasy—it’s happening right now across India’s fastest-growing sectors. From real estate to EV infrastructure and top-tier tech giants like Google and Microsoft, a quiet salary surge is reshaping India’s job market. Industry surveys reveal that 2025–26 could bring one of the highest average salary hikes in over a decade, with some niche roles touching almost 14 percent increments.
So, which companies and sectors are leading this pay revolution—and what skills are commanding these premium paychecks? Let’s take a smart dive.
Real Estate and Infrastructure: Cementing the Top Pay Charts
Once considered a slow-growth sector, India’s real estate and infrastructure industry is now booming—thanks to massive government investment and private participation.
Key stats:
- Average hike for 2026: 10.9%
- Top roles: Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor, Civil Engineer
- Reason: Infrastructure push under Smart Cities 2.0 and housing demand in tier-2 hubs
Developers like DLF, Larsen & Toubro Realty, and Godrej Properties have expanded aggressively in 2025, luring skilled professionals with performance-based incentives and retention hikes.
The surge in construction activity—from metro projects to green housing—has made design engineers and project planners some of the most sought-after professionals in India right now.
NBFCs: The Financial Front-Runners
If there’s a sector that has quietly outperformed traditional banks in rewarding talent, it’s the NBFC space.
Typical hike range: 10–10.4%
Top players: Bajaj Finance, Tata Capital, Shriram Finance, Mahindra Finance
These financial powerhouses are scaling up digital lending ecosystems, wealth management divisions, and consumer finance operations. As fintech collaborations expand, roles in credit underwriting, digital lending analytics, and relationship management now receive steep raises to counter rising attrition.
The smarter the insight, the bigger the pay—making NBFCs the quick climbers in India’s evolving salary landscape.
EV and Green-Tech: The Future-Pay Industry
The electric vehicle revolution is not just saving the environment—it’s fueling the fastest salary hikes across the industrial economy.
Average increment: 11.3%
Top roles: Electrical Design Engineer (up to 12.4%), Battery Systems Engineer, EV Infrastructure Project Head
Companies like Tata Motors EV Division, Ola Electric, and Ather Energy are expanding capacity and R&D in 2025, competing fiercely for engineers with high-voltage system experience and mechatronics expertise.EV infrastructure providers—charging networks, grid management startups, and IoT players—are also joining the hiring war, making this one of the most future-loaded segments for jobseekers.
Consumer Durables and Retail: Rewarding the Human Connection
As India’s domestic consumption engine heats up, retail and consumer durable firms are compensating generously to keep up with demand.
Average hike: 10.7%
Hot roles: In-Store Demonstrator (12.2%), Fashion Assistant (11.2%), Regional Sales Executive (10.5%)
Companies such as Reliance Retail, Tata Croma, and Aditya Birla Fashion have leveraged strong festival sales momentum, rewarding front-line sales and merchandising staff with market-beating hikes.Beyond metros, rising consumer demand in Tier-2 cities like Lucknow, Coimbatore, and Indore has made experienced floor managers and supply chain coordinators prime assets—earning faster promotions and bigger pay bumps.
Technology Sector: The Smartest Hikes Go to the Smartest Minds
The Indian tech sector may have moderated its average hikes, but the top quartile of talent is still earning massive packages from global players.
Salary rise averages:
- Tech Mahindra: 9%
- Accenture: 8%
- HCL Tech: 7%
- Infosys: 6.5%
Meanwhile, Google India, Microsoft, and Databricks continue to offer total compensation packages crossing ₹2 crore for high-performing AI researchers, product leads, and software architects.The trend is clear: automation and AI experts are now the blue-chip talent of the digital economy. Even mid-tier engineers with cloud, data pipeline, or generative AI experience are negotiating premium hikes as companies battle talent shortages.
Blue-Collar Heroes: The Ground-Level Salary Surge
One of the most underappreciated trends of 2025 is the steady income leap among India’s operational workforce.
Average hike range: 9.3%–10.4%
Top roles: Mechanic, Electrician, Machine Operator, Material Handler
Manufacturing recovery, e-commerce warehouses, and logistics growth are driving demand for skilled blue-collar talent. Companies like TVS Logistics and Flipkart Supply Chain have announced structured increment programs to retain trained workers.
For many, these hikes translate into a direct lifestyle upgrade—boosting real incomes in smaller industrial towns.
The Salary Champions: High-Increment Roles by City
Recent HR analytics from employment platforms such as Aon India and TeamLease HRtech reveal city-specific salary highs, reflecting localized demand spikes.
Top city-specific hikes of 2025:
- Pune: Quality Control Inspectors — 13.8%
- Hyderabad: MIS Executives — 13.4%
- Bengaluru: Data Engineers — 12.9%
- Gurgaon: Sales Executives — 12.4%
In these markets, recruiters report that retention bonuses are becoming common, signaling a deep talent battle across high-demand profiles in analytics, QA, and sales operations.
Why Skill-Based Pay Is Replacing Tenure-Based Pay
A major shift underway is the move from experience-based pay scales to skill-linked compensation.
Top employers have realized that niche skillsets—whether in EV battery design, data analytics, or retail operations—directly impact business velocity.
Key drivers:
- Rapid digital transformation in traditional sectors
- Emphasis on productivity over tenure
- Emergence of hybrid job roles merging technology and operations
As a result, even mid-level professionals with dynamic skill stacks are now negotiating double-digit raises, outpacing senior peers who rely purely on experience.
The Hidden Pay Winners: Mid-Market Firms and Startups
It’s not just giants making headlines. Mid-sized companies, especially in the EV supply chain, renewable tech, and fintech SaaS, are quietly rewarding top performers above industry averages.
Startups with stable funding rounds or profitable operations are offering ESOP-linked bonuses, joining hikes up to 15%, and retention-based salary jumps.For instance, EV charger startup Bolt.Earth recently rolled out performance-linked pay that can double base compensation in one year. Meanwhile, consumer-tech ventures in D2C fashion and fintech are aggressively matching corporate packages to attract top sales and engineering talent.
Inside the Employer Mindset: Retention Is the Real Driver
India’s workforce churn has intensified post-pandemic, leading to higher replacement and training costs for companies. HR leaders now admit that retention-driven hikes are a survival strategy, not just generosity. Aon India’s 2025 workforce survey noted that more than 70% of employers are offering above-inflation hikes primarily to stop attrition. The sectors leading this retention battle—EVs, real estate, NBFCs, and retail—are also the ones expanding fastest.
It’s a simple equation: retaining skilled professionals saves money, drives continuity, and safeguards brand reputation.
What It Means for Employees
For professionals, this shift represents an important wake-up call—salary growth is no longer linear or seniority-based.
Actionable insights for jobseekers:
- Upskill smartly: Learn AI tools, data visualization, or energy design.
- Track growing cities: Move where the increment spreads are high (Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore).
- Stay agile: Multi-domain skills and adaptability fetch quicker hikes.
- Prioritize performance bonuses: Negotiating metrics-based pay works better in inflationary cycles.
Smart employees now treat “skills” as their stock portfolio—invest in what yields the highest compounding returns.
Snapshot Table: India’s Highest Salary Hikes (2025–26)
| Company/Sector | Salary Hike % | Roles/Cities | Year |
| Real Estate & Infrastructure | 10.9% | Pan India | 2026 |
| NBFCs | 10–10.4% | Relationship Executives, Analysts | 2025–26 |
| EV & EV Infrastructure | 11.3% | Electrical Design Engineer | 2025 |
| Consumer Durables & Retail | 10.7% | Fashion, In-Store Sales | 2025 |
| Tech Mahindra | 9% | Software Engineers | 2025 |
| Google, Microsoft | Up to ₹2 crore+ | Software, AI, Product | 2025 |
| Pune | 13.8% | Quality Inspector | 2025 |
| Hyderabad | 13.4% | MIS Executive | 2025 |
| Bengaluru | 12.9% | Data Engineer | 2025 |
| Gurgaon | 12.4% | Sales Executive | 2025 |
The Broader Picture: India’s Wage Outlook for 2026
As India’s economy rebounds post-election year, most consultancies forecast an average salary increase of 9.5–10.2% across sectors in FY2026—the highest rate since 2011.
The standout performers are expected to remain:
- EV, renewable energy, and battery tech
- Real estate and infrastructure
- Consumer retail and logistics
- Financial services and NBFCs
- AI-driven IT services
Adding to the optimism, the government’s push for Make in India 2.0 and domestic manufacturing expansion will likely sustain this momentum through 2026–27.
Key Takeaways (Quick Recap)
- Highest hikes: EV infrastructure (11.3%) and Real Estate (10.9%)
- NBFCs and retail sectors maintain strong 10%+ raises
- Google, Microsoft, and Databricks offer elite-level packages for top AI talent
- Blue-collar pay is rising faster than office averages
- Pune and Hyderabad lead salary growth city-wise
- Future hikes are driven by skills, not titles
Final Thought: Ready for the Next Big Pay Jump?
India’s job market is rewarding those who move fast and upskill faster. The biggest hikes today aren’t limited to boardrooms—they’re happening across EV tech floors, real estate teams, and digital finance desks.In this fast-changing pay landscape, your next role could easily push your income up by double digits—if you know where to look and what skills to sharpen. So, ask yourself: are you tracking the industries driving tomorrow’s pay boom or still waiting for one to happen?
The next big salary leap could already be unfolding—just one smart career move away.
