US companies are increasing hiring in India at a pace not seen in years, according to new industry data, as stricter H-1B visa rules push firms to expand operations where the talent already lives.
A survey of nearly 2,400 verified tech and banking professionals across the United States and India found that just over half — 52% — of respondents said their employers plan to increase India hiring in 2026. Of those, 34% described the increase as significant.
The findings, published by workplace community platform Blind, point to a broader restructuring of how global firms are building their engineering and operations teams. Employees at major firms including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, eBay, Salesforce, SAP and Capital One reported plans to expand their India headcount, with the figure reaching as high as 93% among respondents at some companies.
Visa Policy Is a Direct Factor
Nearly three in ten respondents — 28% — cited recent H-1B visa restrictions as a factor pushing companies toward India hiring. Separately, research group Rest of World reported roughly 4,200 open positions across major US tech firms in India as of early February, with AI, machine learning, cloud and cybersecurity roles making up nearly half of them. Companies added around 33,000 India-based workers in 2025 alone — an 18% rise on the year before, according to Bengaluru-based HR analyst N. Shivakumar.
“If tech talent can’t come to the US, American companies will go where the talent is,” one industry source told Rest of World.
A Broader Global Shift, Not Just Big Tech
The trend extends well beyond large technology firms. Industry researchers estimate 78% of companies now hire internationally for remote roles, and HR leaders surveyed by workforce platform Remote.com expect more than half of all new hires at their organizations to be based outside their home country by the end of the year. LinkedIn data shows international remote job postings have risen 44% compared with 2024.
The Employer of Record (EOR) sector — companies that let foreign employers hire staff in India without setting up a local entity — has grown alongside the trend. The market reached an estimated $5.97 billion in 2026, up from $4.4 billion in 2023, according to industry researchers.
Why India, Specifically
India’s IT and business process sector is projected to reach $315.4 billion in revenue this financial year, according to a 2026 industry analyst report, with the country producing an estimated 2.5 million STEM graduates annually. The same report puts India’s AI and machine learning workforce above 120,000 professionals, against a US market of roughly 300,000 qualified ML engineers competing for over a million open roles.
Employers report cost savings of 40–70% when hiring comparable roles in India rather than the US, though industry surveys also note that nearly three-quarters of international recruiters have run into compliance challenges abroad — with almost a third of those costing more than $50,000 to resolve.
What It Means for Smaller Companies
Analysts say the shift isn’t confined to large enterprises. Among top-funded startups, an estimated 88% expand into hiring from a second country within 18 months of their first international hire, according to workforce platform Deel, which reported 42% year-on-year growth in cross-border hiring on its platform through the first quarter of 2026.
For founders without in-house recruitment infrastructure, the compliance risks cited in industry surveys are typically the deciding factor in whether to hire directly, use an EOR, or work with a specialist recruitment partner already familiar with India’s hiring landscape.
Jobs Innovators works with US and UK founders to source and screen India-based talent, typically delivering interview-ready candidates within 72 hours.
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