Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 17: Companies are increasingly turning to India’s older Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to recruit talent for artificial intelligence (AI) and related roles ahead of the upcoming campus placement season, with pre-placement offers (PPOs) and demand for specialised skills shaping hiring plans, The Economic Times reported on Saturday.

The final placement season at the seven older IITs — Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur, Delhi, Guwahati and Roorkee — is scheduled to begin on December 1.

Recruiters are expanding their search beyond conventional software and engineering positions to candidates with expertise in AI, data science and analytics. However, the growing demand for specialised skills does not necessarily indicate a broad-based recovery in fresher hiring, as some companies remain cautious about increasing entry-level recruitment, the report said.

At IIT Guwahati, opportunities are emerging in applied AI and AI-assisted technology, even as traditional software and services recruitment faces pressure, John Jose, head of the institute’s Centre for Career Development, told The Economic Times. Jose said roles that were unavailable during the previous placement cycle were now emerging, adding that students with stronger AI skills could have an advantage in the recruitment process.

At IIT Kanpur, companies are increasingly seeking graduates capable of developing, deploying and working with AI technologies. The demand extends beyond dedicated AI and machine-learning positions to opportunities in software, analytics, finance and core engineering, Manjesh K Singh, chairperson of the institute’s students’ placement committee, told the newspaper. AI-focused companies, banks and financial services firms, along with quantitative trading firms, are expected to participate in recruitment at the institute.

IIT Kharagpur expects recruitment across several sectors, including technology and software, AI and data, finance, semiconductors, core engineering and other emerging technology fields, according to the report. To meet changing industry requirements, the institute has expanded its academic offerings in emerging areas. These include a four-year BTech programme in AI, along with other programmes and micro-specialisations in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Internships continue to play an important role in campus recruitment, allowing companies to evaluate candidates before extending pre-placement offers, particularly in information technology, data science and technology-related fields, Jose said.

Start-ups are also expected to contribute to campus hiring. IIT Kanpur has attracted interest from young companies operating in technology, AI, fintech and deep tech, Singh told The Economic Times.

With the placement season approaching, recruiters are increasingly prioritising specialised technical capabilities, particularly in AI-related fields. However, the overall hiring outlook remains mixed, with opportunities in emerging technologies developing alongside continued caution over entry-level recruitment.