The Talent Radar.
A monthly read on hiring velocity, role mix, and where the senior signal is moving across India's GCCs. Twelve charts, one observation page, and the data tables behind them — published the first Wednesday of every month.
Updated May 2026 · Issue 41
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Issue 41 · May 2026
Issue 41 · May 2026
Hiring velocity is up 18%, but the role mix has shifted — and most plans haven't caught up.
The headline number reads like recovery. What the data underneath actually shows is a quiet reshuffle: VP roles up sharply, IC4–IC5 down for the fourth month running, and the AI/ML salary band reopening at the top. This month's edition unpacks what that means for hiring plans built before December.
- 01 Velocity is up — but at the top, not in the middle. VP-level mandates are running 18% above the trailing six-month average. IC4–IC5 hiring is still soft.
- 02 AI/ML pay has reopened at the top. Director-level offers up 22% YoY in Bengaluru. The gap to the next sector down is wider than it's been since 2022.
- 03 Notice periods are extending. 68 days is the new average across the senior cohort — up from 54 a year ago. Most pipeline plans still assume 45.
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Archive
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Recent issues.
Issue 40 · April 2026
April 2026
Q1 closed soft. What the velocity number was hiding.
The 7% headline drop masked three different stories across sectors. Pharma was up, BFSI was flat, ER&D held the line — and Tech took the hit.
Read issue 40
Issue 39 · March 2026
March 2026
Counter-offer rates hit a five-year high — and what's actually driving it.
Counter-offer acceptance jumped 31% in the senior cohort. The reasons aren't the ones HR teams are reporting in their exit surveys.
Read issue 39
Issue 38 · February 2026
February 2026
The hidden cost of slow offer cycles, in three charts.
Median time-to-offer crossed 38 days for the first time. What that's costing in shortlist drop-off, by sector and by level.
Read issue 38
What's in every issue
How the Talent Radar is put together.
The same structure every month — built so a CHRO can read it in fifteen minutes and a TA leader can use the data tables that afternoon.
01 · Observation
One read, on the front page
A single page that says what the month's data actually means. Written by Sachith, signed and dated. The rest of the report is the evidence.
02 · Charts
Twelve charts, every issue
Velocity index, role mix, sector splits, city splits, notice periods, comp deltas. Same charts every month so you can read the trend, not just the snapshot.
03 · Data tables
The numbers behind the charts
Every chart has a corresponding data table at the back. Copy them into your own models, board decks, or planning docs. Attribution requested, not required.
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Frequently Asked
About the Talent Radar.
The questions that come up most often in the first conversation about the report.
Is the Talent Radar really free?
Yes. Every issue is free to download with a work email. We use the subscription to send you the next one when it ships. We don't sell the list and we don't share it with partners.
When does each issue go live?
The first Wednesday of every month, 9am IST. Subscribers get it in their inbox the same morning; non-subscribers can download from this page from the same time.
How is this different from the Hiring Pulse?
The Talent Radar tracks the same set of indicators every month across all sectors — designed to read the trend. The Hiring Pulse goes deep on one sector each quarter — designed to give you everything you need to brief a team or plan a year. Different jobs.
Can I cite the data?
Yes, with attribution. Every chart has a source line. We ask that you don't reproduce more than three charts from a single issue without getting in touch first — if you want to feature the data in a public report or board deck, drop us a line.
Do you cover sectors outside the four you publish on?
Not in the Talent Radar — we publish on Tech, Pharma, BFSI, and ER&D where the placement data is dense. For other sectors, we run custom intelligence work on request.
What if I want a custom cut of the data for my GCC?
Custom data extracts, sector deep-dives, and white-label intelligence work are part of our Intelligence & Advisory practice. Send a brief through the intelligence overview page and we'll come back within a working day.