Business
Nearly 6 in 10 professionals say their job title doesn’t match their pay: Indeed Hiring Tracker
India, 18th August 2026: According to Indeed’s latest quarterly hiring tracker, nearly 6 in 10 professionals say their job title does not reflect their compensation, revealing a growing disconnect between recognition and reward in India’s workplaces. The survey found that nearly 80% of professionals believe title inflation has become common across industries, with many observing colleagues carrying increasingly senior designations that are not always matched by comparable compensation.
Commenting on the findings, Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India, said:
“A job title has always carried professional identity. Titles remain meaningful because they signal opportunity and capability, but they are most effective when they reflect genuine career progression rather than becoming a substitute for it. Building that alignment will be increasingly important for organisations looking to attract and retain talent in a competitive market.”
Career growth is being measured beyond the title
Nearly 1 in 3 professionals who received a title change over the past two years say it came with either no salary increase or an increment of less than 5%. At the same time, 52% of professionals say they would choose a higher salary over a better designation when considering a new opportunity, suggesting that while titles may open doors, compensation continues to define career value.
Interestingly, the survey also shows that professionals are not dismissing titles altogether. Nearly 70% believe their designation plays an important role in shaping future career opportunities, while almost 73% feel a stronger title improves how potential employers perceive them. 57% also say their designation has a significant impact on their overall job satisfaction. Together, these findings suggest that employees continue to value titles, but increasingly expect them to be backed by meaningful compensation and genuine career progression.
Employers are using titles as a strategic talent tool
The employer perspective offers important context to this shift. 57% of employers say their organisation uses senior-sounding or enhanced job titles to some or a great extent to attract or retain talent. This signals that designations are increasingly being used as a strategic talent lever alongside compensation. For many organisations, designations have become an increasingly important tool to attract candidates, retain high-performing employees and recognise growth, particularly when salary budgets remain constrained. Employers also cite evolving market expectations and changing organisational structures as factors driving the use of more senior titles.
The findings suggest that employers and employees are often looking at the same promotion through different lenses. While organisations view titles as one of several ways to recognise talent, employees continue to associate career progression most strongly with financial advancement. This expectation gap is shaping how professionals evaluate opportunities, measure success and define meaningful growth in today’s labour market.
The future of career progression will demand greater alignment. As India’s labour market continues to evolve, the survey points towards a broader shift in how professionals define career success. A better designation still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own. For today’s workforce, the most meaningful promotion is one where title, responsibility and compensation grow together.
Methodology
This survey was conducted by Valuvox on behalf of Indeed in May and June 2026. The employer survey reached 1,211 employers across India, while the employee survey reached 2,533 respondents. Respondents represented a mix of industries, organisation sizes, age groups, career stages and locations across Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities and rural India. The study explores perceptions around the relationship between job titles and compensation, the prevalence of title inflation, evolving expectations around career progression, and how employers are using job titles as part of their talent attraction and retention strategies.
