Talent Radar · May 2026 — GCC hiring slows in BFSI, AI roles up 14%.

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The Compensation Index.

The senior GCC compensation benchmark, built from what offers actually close at, not from survey self-reports. Bands by role, sector, and city, with the gaps that matter, IC4 to IC5, director to VP, Bengaluru to Hyderabad, where most comp plans quietly go wrong.

CadencePeriodic
Roles benchmarked[NEEDS SOURCE — Sachith]
Data basisLive placements
FormatPDF + data tables
CostFree, with subscription
Latest drop Q2 2026
Band δ (top)
+[NS]
IC4→IC5 gap
[NS]
Cities
5
Q2 2026

The published band and the closed offer are different numbers, and the gap is widening at the top.

This drop benchmarks senior GCC compensation across IT, BFSI, Pharma, and ER&D, built from offers that actually closed. The headline finding is the same one comp committees keep missing: the band on the requisition and the number that wins the candidate have drifted apart, most of all in AI. Every figure here is a draft pending Sachith's sign-off against placement data.

  • 01 Published band ≠ closed offer. In the fastest segments the gap between the two is material and growing. [NEEDS SOURCE — Sachith]
  • 02 The IC4 to IC5 step is repricing. The jump that used to be predictable is moving fastest where AI demand is concentrated. [NEEDS SOURCE — Sachith]
  • 03 City gaps are shifting. The Bengaluru-to-Hyderabad premium is not what it was for two senior segments. [NEEDS SOURCE — Sachith]
Get the Q2 2026 Compensation Index (PDF + tables)
Why this is different

Built from closed offers, not surveys.

A salary survey ages and aggregates. The Compensation Index is back-tested against what mandates actually closed at, which is the only number a candidate is really weighing.

01 · Live data
What offers closed at
Every band is built from real, recent closed offers across our placements, not self-reported survey figures with a six-month lag. The number you can actually win a candidate with.
02 · The right cuts
Role, sector, city, level
Bands cut to the level a decision is made at, with the gaps that matter, IC4 to IC5, director to VP, and city to city, called out rather than averaged away.
03 · Signed off
Every figure verified
Nothing ships until it's checked against placement data and signed off by Sachith. Our credibility is the product, so a number we can't stand behind doesn't go in.
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