A recent report has indicated that Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad are now emerging as a major salary hub for freshers as India’s salary structure is undergoing a major shift, with emerging cities outpacing traditional industrial cities.
The analysis is based on job portal Indeed’s first PayMap Survey, which included responses from 1,311 employers and 2,531 employees. It aimed to understand new salary standards, industry trends and employee sentiment in the post-pandemic era.
According to the report, cities like Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad are now becoming centres of salary growth reflecting a career-oriented mindset.
Chennai leads in entry-level salaries, with freshers with 0 to 2 years of experience earning an average salary of ₹30,100 per month. Hyderabad has emerged as the city offering the highest salaries at the mid and senior level, where professionals with 5 to 8 years of experience are getting a salary of up to ₹69,700 per month.
The report also revealed that salaries have increased by an average of 15 per cent across the country in the last one year, but the fastest and most promising growth is being seen outside the metro cities.
Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, Indeed India, says:
“Now the perception of salary is changing. Employees are preferring cities where salaries are not only in line with the cost of living, but career growth prospects are also available. Our data shows that opportunities are no longer limited to big cities; it is slowly spreading across the country.”
The survey also revealed that 69% of employees believe that their income is not in line with the cost of living in their city. The gap is most pronounced in expensive cities like Delhi (96%), Mumbai (95%), Pune (94%), and Bengaluru (93%).
In contrast, cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata are considered more affordable, offering more financial balance. At the industry level, the IT and ITeS sector leads in terms of salaries across all experience levels, with digital and artificial intelligence-based jobs in high demand.
The report also mentions that freshers, whether in software development or HR engineering, are receiving an average salary of ₹25,000 to ₹30,500 per month.
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