By Kavita Mistry 
Hiring in India’s travel and hospitality industry continues to accelerate, with the Net Employment Change (NEC) rising to +5.9 per cent in HY2 FY26, compared with +3.9 per cent in HY1, according to the latest TeamLease Employment Outlook Report. The report attributes this improvement to strong domestic and inbound tourism recovery, global event-driven travel, and a growing shift toward digital and experiential service models.
The findings are based on a survey of 1,251 employers across 23 industries and 20 cities, conducted between June and August 2025.
The report reveals that 68 per cent of employers plan to expand their workforce, 21 per cent expect to maintain current levels, and 11 per cent foresee reductions, underscoring a generally positive hiring sentiment in the sector.
Tourism and Experience-Led Demand Driving Growth
The hiring surge reflects the sustained rebound of foreign tourist arrivals and domestic leisure circuits, particularly in wellness, heritage, and spiritual tourism. Growth in corporate and MICE travel has also supported demand for skilled roles across hotels, airlines, and airports.
Employers are increasingly focusing on frontline, digital, and experience-oriented functions, moving beyond traditional service-heavy staffing. “The sector is evolving toward experience-led travel, supported by technology and analytics that personalise guest journeys,” the report notes.
Emerging Roles and Hiring Trends
New-age travel businesses and established hospitality brands alike are creating roles that align with digital transformation and cost optimisation. Revenue managers, digital distribution specialists, and guest experience designers are among the most sought-after profiles.
In the aviation and airport segment, airlines are expanding teams for operations planning and customer flow analytics to enhance efficiency across terminals. Meanwhile, cost rationalisation continues in areas such as concierge services, in-house travel desks, and redundant call centres, which 11 per cent of employers reported scaling down.
The shift reflects a broader focus on digital merchandising, user experience design, and customer insight roles that improve retention and service quality.
Top Job Functions and Locations
Hiring demand is strongest in Sales and Marketing (51 per cent ), followed by Blue Collar (46 per cent ), and Back Office & Admin (39 per cent ) functions. This indicates growing emphasis on customer acquisition, on-ground operations, and process reliability.
Among locations, Indore (24 per cent), Bengaluru (22 per cent ), and Jaipur (20 per cent ) emerged as key talent hubs for travel and hospitality hiring, supported by expanding infrastructure, tourism activity, and hotel development pipelines.
Industry Insights
Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice President, TeamLease Services, said:
“The travel and hospitality sector is soaring on the back of a strong tourism revival and global events, delivering a +5.9 per cent Net Employment Change in HY2 FY26. This momentum is driven by experiential travel, rising leisure demand, and expanding service excellence across travel ecosystems. The strong hiring interest in Sales & Marketing (51 per cent ), Blue Collar (46 per cent ), and Back Office & Admin (39 per cent ) roles highlights how employers are strengthening customer experience, operational reliability, and frontline service quality — signalling a robust growth phase for talent in this sector.”
With the industry benefiting from renewed inbound travel, evolving guest expectations, and technology-led transformation, the outlook for travel and hospitality employment remains optimistic for FY26 and beyond.
