By A survey has found that 68.4% of Indian professionals plan to actively seek new job opportunities in 2027, with more than half expecting a pay rise of at least 31% before they would consider moving. The foundit Career Reset Survey 2027, based on responses from 9,951 professionals across India, was released on Thursday and reported by ETHRWorld, citing PTI.
Career growth was the biggest motivation for switching jobs, cited by 40.3% of respondents, followed by higher salary at 29.7% and better work-life balance at 20.3%. Only 3.7% planned to stay and grow within their existing organisations, while 18.1% intended to stay but remained open to opportunities. Confidence was high: 94.1% said they were confident of finding a good job if needed.
What the numbers mean for retention planning
The gap between the 68.4% who plan to seek new roles and the 3.7% who plan to stay and grow is the figure HR teams should focus on first. It suggests that internal growth paths are not visible or credible to most employees. When 40.3% cite career growth as their main reason for leaving, the issue is not only pay. Employees are signalling that they do not see a future inside their current company.
For HR and payroll leads, this changes the retention conversation. A counteroffer built only on salary may fail for the 40.3% whose primary driver is progression. The survey does not break down responses by industry, seniority or city, so HR teams should treat these as national signals rather than a precise map of their own workforce. Running an internal version of the same questions, segmented by department and tenure, would show where the risk is concentrated.
Pay expectations and the 31% threshold
The finding that 51.5% of professionals would consider switching only for a pay hike of at least 31% is a useful benchmark for compensation reviews. It does not mean every employee expects 31%. It means that half of those open to moving have set that as their floor. The other half may accept less, and the survey does not say what lower offers they would entertain.
Payroll teams should note that a 31% hike is rarely a simple base salary adjustment. In India, a large jump can affect variable pay calculations, provident fund contributions, gratuity accrual and tax withholding under the income tax regime chosen by the employee. Employers should model the full cost of a retention raise, not just the headline percentage, before making counteroffers. They should also confirm the tax treatment of any retention bonus for their own situation, as individual circumstances vary.
AI upskilling is now a retention issue
The survey found that 82.1% of professionals viewed AI as a career opportunity, and 67% were actively upskilling in AI. Another 15.2% recognised the potential but had not yet acted. This has direct implications for learning and development budgets and for how HR frames internal mobility.
Employees who are investing their own time in AI skills will expect their employer to offer projects, tools and roles where those skills are used. If the company cannot provide that, the skills become a reason to leave. HR teams should map which roles now have an AI component, identify employees who are upskilling independently, and create internal pathways that connect the two. This is a practical step that addresses the career growth motivation without requiring a promotion for everyone.
Recruitment process frustration is a hidden risk
The survey found that 80.8% of professionals identified recruitment-process-related issues as their biggest frustration. The source does not specify which issues, but the figure matters for two reasons. First, it affects how candidates experience the employer brand. Second, it affects internal mobility, because many companies ask existing employees to apply through the same external process.
HR teams should audit their own hiring process from application to offer. Common friction points in India include long gaps between interview rounds, unclear salary discussions, repeated document requests and slow offer letters. For internal candidates, requiring them to compete through the same portal as external applicants can feel like a signal that the company does not value their tenure. Fixing these issues is cheaper than replacing the employees who leave because of them.
What employers should do before 2027
foundit CEO Tarun Sinha said the challenge for employers is “no longer just attracting talent, but creating meaningful growth opportunities, building future-ready capabilities and ensuring that hiring practices keep pace with changing workforce expectations.”
In practice, that means three actions. First, publish clear internal career paths with defined criteria for movement, so employees can see what progression looks like without leaving. Second, run stay interviews with high performers in the 18.1% who are open to opportunities but not actively looking. Third, review the recruitment process end to end, including how internal applicants are treated.
The survey does not state what will happen next or predict whether the 68.4% figure will hold through the year. But the combination of high confidence, high pay expectations and low intent to stay with current employers suggests that retention risk in India will be a defining HR issue in 2027.
Sources: ETHRWorld
Photo: Job Cohen interview by Jos van Zetten, CC BY 2.0
