Why Freshers Struggle to Get IT Jobs in 2026?

Thousands of students graduate in India every year, but only few of them get hired in the industry. This disparity underscores a widening gap between academic preparation and real-world job requirements. According to the India Skills Report 2025, the intent to hire freshers is gradually lower than the previous year.

This simplifies that in 2025, the average 14% of new hires are freshers from across the industries, whereas this percentage was 18.8% in 2024. Now the question arise is: Why Freshers Struggle to Get IT Jobs? Let us discuss the main reasons that hold back freshers from getting their dream jobs.

What are the Main Factors Affecting Employability Trends?

A skill report published by Wheebox highlights the factors affecting employability trends. It highlights strengths, gaps, and trends in skills and hiring:

Overall Employability Landscape

India’s overall employability rate is 54.81%, meaning over half of graduates score well (above 60%) on skills tests. This shows a strong talent base, but there’s room for improvement in practical skills. While many graduates are capable, employers often prioritize experience over raw talent, leading to hiring challenges for freshers.

Employability by Education and Field

• Top Performers: In IT 75% and in Computer Science, 78% of total graduates lead, followed by 78% in MBA, and 71.50% in B.E./B.Tech. Engineering fields like Electronics (72%) and Biotech (65%) also score high.
• Lower Performers: B.A. graduates have moderate employability (54%), indicating gaps in non-technical fields.

Hence, technical and management degrees align better with jobs, but all fields need more real-world training to boost scores.

Regional Breakdown of Employability Rates

Preferences and Trends Among Graduates

• Internships and Work: 93% of candidates want internships, with Tamil Nadu showing the highest interest.
• Top Work Regions: Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
• Gender Preferences: Males favour engineering and tech; females lean toward wellness, fashion, HR, and finance.

Graduates are eager for hands-on experience, but preferences vary by region and gender, so career advice vary according to their choices.

Hiring Trends and Industry Experience Demand for Freshers

Lower than last year across industries. Only 14% of new hires are freshers, as companies prefer experienced candidates (1-5 years) across sectors such as IT, Pharma, and Manufacturing. This reflects a focus on “ready-to-work” talent amid economic shifts.

In-Demand Skills and Future Focus

Top Skills: Employers prioritize soft skills like ethics, collaboration, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, alongside digital literacy, management, and cognitive abilities. Technical expertise is important, but not enough, as adaptability and leadership are key skills.

Trends: The workforce is evolving toward well-rounded professionals who can handle change and teamwork. Industries emphasize self-efficacy and communication.

Why Freshers Struggle to Get IT Jobs?

Skills Don’t Match What Companies Currently Need

A major reason freshers struggle to get IT jobs is the growing gap between what they learn and what companies actually require. The industry evolves rapidly; new frameworks, cloud platforms, AI tools, and automation technologies emerge every year.

Many freshers still rely on outdated or purely theoretical knowledge, which doesn’t prepare them for modern, real-world challenges. As a result, recruiters often find that fresh graduates lack the practical, job-ready skills needed to contribute from day one.

Lack of Real-World Experience or Projects

Another common issue is that freshers apply with a degree alone but without any practical proof of their abilities. Today, companies prefer candidates who can demonstrate real-world experience through personal projects, internships, freelance work, or contributions to GitHub and open-source communities.

When a resume shows no hands-on work, freshers blend into the crowd, making it harder for them to stand out during screening or interviews. Practical exposure has become just as important as academic qualifications.

To gain practical exposure, students or freshers can enroll in the training program provided by Shine Dezign, where they can work on live projects to gain hands-on experience and build their resumes and portfolios as per the industry requirements.

Too Much Competition

The number of fresh graduates entering the IT job market is far greater than the number of openings available for entry-level roles. Because of this, competition has become intense. For every single job posting, companies often receive hundreds or even thousands of applications.

In such situations, only candidates with strong technical foundations, solid portfolios, and polished interview skills make it to the next stage. High competition naturally leads to more filtering, leaving many freshers behind.

Weak Communication & Soft Skills

Technical knowledge alone is no longer enough to secure an IT job. Companies expect freshers to communicate clearly, explain their thought processes, collaborate effectively, and act professionally.

However, many graduates struggle with communication, confidence, or presentation, which reduces their chances of performing well in interviews. Even if they are technically sound, difficulty in expressing ideas or interacting with interviewers can hurt their chances significantly.

Colleges Often Don’t Teach Job-Ready Skills

Many educational institutions still follow outdated curricula that focus heavily on theory rather than real-world application.

Students may graduate without exposure to essential industry practices such as version control, team collaboration, testing, debugging, or using modern tools and frameworks. Because of this, freshers often leave college unprepared for the expectations of IT companies and must learn most job-ready skills on their own.

Resumes Don’t Get Past ATS or Recruiter Screening

A lot of freshers fail to get noticed simply because their resumes are not optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Poor formatting, missing keywords, or irrelevant information often cause resumes to be filtered out before a human ever sees them.

Without the right structure and content, even skilled freshers may lose opportunities. In a competitive market, an ATS-friendly resume has become a basic requirement for getting shortlisted.

Expecting Higher Salaries or Easy Role Without Skills

Some freshers have unrealistic expectations regarding salary, job role, or working conditions. They may expect high packages, immediate work-from-home options, or minimal workloads without building the necessary expertise.

Companies look for candidates who demonstrate willingness to learn, sense of adaptability, and strong work ethic. When expectations ain’t aligned with reality, it creates a mismatch that leads to disappointment and missed opportunities.

Industry Hiring Trends Have Shifted

Hiring patterns often change in the IT industry and various industries. There are many factors affecting the shift in industry trends. With the current shift, companies are focusing on candidates with specialized or advanced skills rather than hiring large number of freshers.

Automation, AI tools, and new technologies have streamlined many basic tasks, reducing the need for large teams. As a result, freshers without any relevant skills find it difficult to secure any position in the industry.

How can Freshers Overcome These Reasons and Grab Their Chance in IT Industries?

Bridge the Skill Gap by Learning What the Industry Actually Needs

Stay updated with modern technologies instead of relying only on what colleges teach. Focus on in-demand skills like full-stack development, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), DevOps basics, AI/ML foundations, cybersecurity, and modern programming frameworks. Learning through online courses, bootcamps, and hands-on practice helps make your skills relevant and job-ready.

Build Real-World Projects and a Strong Portfolio

Create personal projects that solve real problems or replicate industry-level applications. Maintain a clean GitHub profile, contribute to open-source projects, or participate in internships, freelancing, and hackathons. A portfolio demonstrates your practical abilities and sets you apart from other freshers who only have academic experience.

Stand Out in a Competitive Market by Specializing

Instead of trying to know “everything,” pick one domain or tech stack and master it well. Specialization makes your profile stronger and helps you compete in a crowded market. Whether it’s backend development, frontend frameworks, UI/UX, testing, data analytics, or cloud, deep knowledge increases your chances of being shortlisted.

Improve Communication and Soft Skills

Practise speaking clearly, explaining your logic, and presenting your ideas confidently. Participate in mock interviews, group discussions, and public-speaking clubs. Strengthen skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and email/meeting etiquette. Great communication can be a differentiator, especially when many freshers have similar technical backgrounds.

Learn Beyond the College Curriculum

Use online platforms, coding communities, YouTube channels, and practical courses to fill the gaps left by outdated college syllabi. Learn how to use Git, testing tools, IDEs, cloud services, databases, and modern frameworks. By aligning your learning with industry expectations, you become more job-ready than the average graduate.

Create an ATS-Friendly, Professional Resume

Use simple formatting, correct section titles, and relevant keywords. Highlight skills, projects, internships, certifications, achievements, and links to GitHub or portfolio site. Avoid long paragraphs or unnecessary decorative elements. A clean, keyword-optimized resume increases your chances of passing automated filters and reaching recruiters.

Set Realistic Expectations and Build a Growth Mindset

Understand that your first job may not be perfect, but it is a stepping stone. Be ready to start with modest roles, learn continuously, and upgrade your skill set over time. Patience, discipline, and willingness to adapt make a huge difference. The more value you create, the faster your growth and salary will follow.

Align Yourself with New Hiring Trends

Learn skills connected to modern IT roles such as automation, AI-assisted coding, cloud-native development, cybersecurity, and data engineering. Understand that companies today prefer people who can work with new tools, automate processes, or streamline workflows. By staying aligned with future-oriented skills, you increase your relevance and employability.

Conclusion

Freshers face IT job challenges in 2026 due to skill gaps, intense competition, and industry shifts. With only 14% of new hires being freshers, the emphasis on experience over raw talent creates significant barriers.

However, by upskilling in areas like AI and cloud computing, building strong portfolios through projects and internships, and adapting to trends, they can overcome these hurdles.

Persistence and gaining practical experience are essential to turning obstacles into stepping stones for success. Ultimately, a proactive approach can open doors in the evolving tech landscape, empowering freshers to secure rewarding roles.