Nearly 60% of Indian Professionals Report Disconnect Between Titles and Pay: Indeed Survey
Nearly six in 10 professionals in India believe their job designations do not adequately reflect their financial compensation, according to findings from the latest quarterly hiring tracker released by job platform Indeed in Mumbai. The report highlights an expanding disconnect between professional recognition in the workplace and corresponding financial rewards.
The survey revealed that nearly 80% of professionals believe title inflation has become a common practice across industries. Employees are increasingly being assigned senior-sounding job designations without receiving an equivalent increase in salary.
Sashi Kumar, Managing Director of Indeed India, noted that designations carry weight but should correspond to real career growth. "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," Kumar said, adding that aligning job titles with career progression will be increasingly vital for organisations aiming to attract and retain talent.
The findings show that professionals are progressively weighing salary over job titles. Nearly one in three workers who received a revised title in the past two years reported receiving either no salary increment at all or an increase of less than 5%. When evaluating new employment opportunities, 52% of respondents stated they would choose a higher salary over a better designation.
Despite the salary preference, designations continue to influence career trajectories. Approximately 70% of respondents said their job title plays an important role in shaping future career opportunities, while 73% believe an elevated designation improves how prospective employers perceive their profile. In addition, around 57% stated that their designation significantly impacts their overall job satisfaction.
On the hiring side, around 57% of employers acknowledged that their organisations use enhanced or senior-sounding titles to some or a great extent to attract or retain staff. The survey noted that companies frequently use designations as a talent-management mechanism, particularly when operating under constrained compensation budgets.
The report concludes that while companies often use titles as a recognition mechanism, employees continue to link meaningful career progression directly to financial advancement.
