Randstad India's Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2026 puts a precise number on restlessness in the Indian labour market: 46% of Indian talent plan to change jobs in the next six months, while 32% already switched employers in the preceding six months.
The survey, now in its 16th Indian edition, drew on responses from nearly 3,500 people in India as part of a global study covering more than 1.75 lakh respondents across 34 markets.
Work-life balance is the single biggest reason people say they would leave their current employer, cited by 49% of respondents. Lack of career growth follows at 42%, and low compensation at 41%, a ranking that signals that pay alone is no longer the dominant lever for retention.
Generational patterns within those numbers matter. Among millennials, 43% say they would leave because of limited career growth, compared with 42% of Gen Z and 39% of Gen X. Digital professionals stand out further: 73% prioritise competitive salaries ahead of work-life balance, and they are disproportionately likely to leave over stalled career progression.
The research also found that employees now associate job security with more than a reliable pay cheque. Performance recognition and career continuity (47%) ranked alongside reliable pay and benefits (47%) as the strongest foundations of job security, with transparent communication close behind at 46%.
On workplace models, full-time remote work has fallen sharply from 47% in 2021 to 18% in 2026, while hybrid arrangements have become the norm, with 42% of respondents in a hybrid setup.
Narayan Iyer, MD, Randstad India, said talent expectations are "expanding faster than organisational structures can adapt," adding that retention now requires closing the gap between financial reward and everyday fulfilment.
