1 in 3 Indian tech workers got no hike or a pay cut in 2026: Blind survey

5 Nov 2026 · By Amol Pagar

This year's appraisal season was tough for many tech workers in India. A survey by Blind, the anonymous professional community, found that 35% of India-based tech professionals got no hike (30%) or a pay cut (5%) in 2026.

Blind surveyed 2,178 professionals in India between 15 and 26 October 2026 and published the results on 29 October.

The key numbers

59% got a hike of 5% or less, up from 34% in 2025.
63% are unhappy with their hike, including 47% who are very unhappy.
41% said their hike was decided mainly by company finances or cost-cutting. Only 22% said it came down to their own performance rating.

Company by company

Among respondents at specific companies:

Zoho: 95% got no raise or a pay cut.
Microsoft: 91% got a hike of 5% or less, compared with 45% last year.

These figures come from the people who answered the survey at each company, not from the companies themselves.

Why this is happening

Companies are watching costs closely, and many say AI and automation are changing how many people they need. At the same time, hiring has not stopped: white-collar hiring rose 14% in October, and AI, data and GCC roles are growing fastest (see our article on the Naukri JobSpeak report).

So the picture is mixed: smaller raises inside companies, but real demand in specific skills outside them.

What this means for you

A job switch is often the fastest way to a real raise. Switches usually bring a bigger jump than an internal hike, especially in AI, data, cloud and cybersecurity.
Update your skills before you switch. Roles in Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and AI/ML teams are growing the fastest.
Know your market value. Check what similar roles pay before you negotiate.
Apply through official company career pages only.

Browse open data and AI jobs, DevOps and cloud jobs, jobs in Bengaluru and jobs in Hyderabad on Daily IT Jobs. Every listing links to the company's official page.

Source: Blind: 1 in 3 Indian tech workers got no hike or a pay cut this year (29 Oct 2026).