The rate of offer shopping among IT candidates has nearly halved, from 30-35 per cent in 2022–23 to 13-15 per cent in 2026, according to data from AMS. Industry experts attribute this trend to rising job security concerns amid global layoffs and economic uncertainty.
“In India, candidates are still exploring better offers, though that trend has eased. After early 2023, job activity dropped sharply, with demand moderating by roughly 25-30 per cent. Widespread layoffs have created a sense of caution. People are now weighing job changes not just on pay, but also on the nature of work and their overall contribution. As a result, it remains a candidate-driven market, but one that is gradually moderating,” said Roop Kaistha, Regional Managing Director, APAC AMS.
Similarly, Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital, observed that between 2021 and 2023, tech candidates routinely held multiple offers and used them as leverage. But today, with tech job additions declining from 1,74,000 in August 2022 to around 102,000 in late 2025, job seekers have fewer options. They are focusing on strong offers rather than exploring multiple opportunities, which may or may not work in their favour.
Market reset
The hyperhiring in 2021 and early 2022 skyrocketed talent’s demand for offer packages. Due to this war for talent and wage wars between employers, talent went offer shopping and offer trading.
“Offer drops and ghosting by candidates were high in what clearly was the jobseeker’s market. All of these changed when the market began correcting itself in the second half of 2022, and enterprises offloaded talent faster than they absorbed it. This moderation of active demand from key hiring sectors has driven a rebalancing at both ends of the table. Candidates cautiously approaching opportunities and employers conservatively pitching offers have reset the job market,” Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, noted.
This decline in offering shopping is most prominent in the mid-experience band, where compensation had grown the fastest during the 2021-22 cycle. However, salary increases are now much harder to match.
TeamLease data shows overall hiring growth at about 4.4 per cent, still well below peak-cycle levels, alongside more selective, skill-based hiring. While fresher hiring intent is gradually moving upwards, hiring is still not broad-based. Negotiating power remains limited. In contrast, niche roles in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity continue to attract competing interest but through far more selective processes.
Fear of layoff
Karanth stated that job seekers impacted by layoffs or dealing with the threat of a layoff are among the fastest negotiators and acceptors of offers. On the other hand, passive job seekers, especially in niche roles, are among the slowest to warm up to and accept an offer.
Alongside, negotiations have become more targeted. The broad 40-50 per cent hike cycle has corrected, resulting in overall increases of around 20 per cent for job shifts. Compensation hikes in the 2x-3x range may never return. These hikes were earlier driven by the role’s value, urgency, and parity factors at the employer’s end.
Sharma explained that as hiring demand rebounds, offer shopping will return, especially in mid-experience roles where activity is currently suppressed. However, some structural shifts will remain as candidates are more conscious of market volatility and are evaluating roles more holistically.
Published on April 15, 2026