
Why your next appraisal won't be better than the previous one
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India Inc. is expected to roll out an average increment of 8.5-9.5% in the upcoming appraisal cycle, as companies calculate the impact of the new labour code and almost-stagnant inflation.
Like this year, 2026 is likely to remain an employer’s market, with outliers being those in the pharmaceutical and consumer industries, according to estimates from staffing and headhunting firms. While companies are doing better and costs have eased, margin pressure persists, they said. The average increments have cooled after the hiring frenzy of 2021 and 2022.
The hikes in those two years were around 9.7% and 10.6%, respectively, according to consulting firm Aon, excluding inflationary adjustments. The average increments in 2023 and 2024 were 9.7% and 9.3%, respectively. “The multinationals (and a few Indian companies) will roll out hikes for 2026 over the coming quarter and we estimate it to be in the range of 8.5-9.5%," said Anandorup Ghose, partner with Deloitte in Human Capital Consulting.
“This year, the companies are looking more optimistic but since inflation has remained steady, there is less reason to push for higher increments. However, the wage code has brought in additional expenses and that will get factored into the hikes." Deloitte had estimated an average hike of 8.8% in 2025 and 9% in 2024 as companies navigated global and local headwinds. India’s retail inflation has cooled, averaging 1.8% in the April-November period.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) projects inflation at just 2% for full fiscal year 2026 (FY26) compared with 4.6% recorded in FY25. The increment cycle kicks in at the end of a fiscal year and in some cases towards the second half of the calendar year. Barring
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