Michael Page has released Hiring Through the Hype, its Talent Trends India 2026 report, part of a global study of 60,000 participants from over 170 countries. Three themes define the talent landscape this year: skills are overtaking credentials as the key hiring signal, AI is reshaping hiring for both clients & candidates and work-life balance has become the decisive factor in whether professionals move roles or stay put.
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Nicholas Kirk, CEO, PageGroup
39 percent hiring managers are prioritising skills over education or career history pushing the candidates to apply for job adverts promoting skills, underscoring that capability now beats credentials. While the adoption of skills-based hiring is growing, it is not yet widespread.
AI has moved from novelty to normality, changing processes, behaviours and outcomes for both sides. 47 percent of professionals reported using it regularly at work in the 2024 Talent Trends survey, a figure that has now risen to 73 percent this year.
In today’s dynamic job market, candidates are making decisions through the lens of trust, demanding transparency around pay, flexibility, and working conditions that align with their lives. While expectations are comprehensive, the drive for work-life balance is paramount – a consistent trend highlighted in last year’s 2025 Talent Trends report where it was considered important by 81 percent of professionals.
Skills: Capability Over Credentials
Finding the right skills remains the core hiring challenge & candidates are responding accordingly too – 77 percent say they are more likely to apply when skills are highlighted as the most important element in a job advert, though 32 percent of Indian employers still prefer degrees or a linear career path, and 42 percent weigh both equally.
The struggle to find qualified talent is intensifying. The lack of required skills is the biggest recruitment challenge over the past year. This growing gap is prompting a shift towards skills-based hiring, an approach overwhelmingly supported by 99 percent of its adopters who report clear benefits, including better capability identification (49 percent) and improved matching to current and future needs (48 percent). Momentum is building, as 39 percent of hiring managers plan to move towards skills-first models.
AI: Embedded on Both Sides of Hiring
GenAI adoption among Indian professionals has grown rapidly — from 47 percent in 2024 to 64 percent in 2025, and now 73 percent in 2026. It is equally present in the hiring process: 76 percent of job applicants use AI to tailor their applications, while 78 percent of hiring managers use it to draft job descriptions and candidate communications. Yet as AI-polished CVs become the norm, a blind spot is emerging — while 81 percent of hiring managers believe they can identify AI-generated applications, 19 percent admit they cannot. As differentiation on paper becomes harder, the real edge shifts to what AI cannot replicate: judgement, lived experience, and genuine two-way conversation. Structured tasks and scenario walkthroughs are increasingly essential to reveal true capability.
Professionals’ Priorities: Flexibility, Trust, and Transparency
Work-life balance and job satisfaction jointly top what professionals value most at work (87 percent each), followed by a good salary and career success (85 percent each) — signalling that professionals are not choosing flexibility over ambition, but expecting both. Yet 43 percent fear they would sacrifice work-life balance by changing roles, a concern that outweighs pay, job security or progression. When flexibility slips in a current role, 61 percent say they would actively start looking elsewhere. Pay transparency matters equally: around one in three active job seekers come from organisations with non-transparent salary structures, while globally, 50 percent of employers with transparent pay say hiring has been more straightforward. First impressions also carry significant weight — 45 percent of new hires consider leaving on their very first day due to a poor onboarding experience.
Nicholas Kirk, CEO, PageGroup said, “The world of work continues to shift at pace. Markets remain unsettled, expectations are evolving, and technology is fundamentally reshaping how employers and candidates connect. Our latest Talent Trends report reinforces that hiring today is more complex and more competitive than ever—but it also reveals where the real opportunities lie.
Globally, 64 percent of professionals are now using GenAI at work, with India leading at 73 percent. Yet what genuinely matters is cutting through the hype to focus on what really counts: skills, clarity and good judgement. We’re seeing this shift in action – 77 percent of Indian candidates are more likely to apply for a role when the job description prioritises skills over credentials, compared to 62 percent globally. This skills-first approach creates stability and confidence, even in unpredictable times, and represents a fundamental evolution in how talent and opportunity find each other.”
“Hiring today is more complex, more competitive and more human than ever. Contracting and agile workforce models are becoming an increasingly important part of workforce planning. With continued uncertainty, many organisations particularly MNCs, are leaning on contract and interim talent to stay flexible, respond quickly to change and access specialist skills when they’re needed most,” added Nilay Khandelwal, Senior Managing Director – India & Singapore, Michael Page.
The report’s central message is clear: the future of hiring is not humans versus technology — it is designing processes where AI supports efficiency and people lead decisions. Organisations that combine skills-first thinking with transparency and human-led assessment will be best placed to attract and retain the talent that makes a real difference.
Methodology:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from an online survey conducted by PageGroup. The Talent Trends 2026 survey is a quantitative online study gathering the views of 60,000 professionals globally over 170 countries. The India sample comprised 3,552 survey participants.
