There is a quiet buzz in the offices of digital marketing agencies across India this week, and it is good news for fresh graduates. As brands roll out their biggest campaigns of the year for the festive season, the demand for young talent who can run online ads is picking up sharply, according to a new report released on October 22.
TeamLease EdTech, in its Career Outlook Report for the second half of 2026, says that entry-level hiring in marketing and advertising is being powered by festive-season spending. Companies are looking for freshers who understand how digital ad platforms work and who can turn campaign data into results, a shift that puts practical skills ahead of degrees for the first time in a big way.
What the report actually says
The findings are based on responses from 1,097 companies across industries and cities, collected between May and July this year. Here are the headline numbers:
- 59% of employers in the Marketing and Advertising sector plan to hire freshers in the second half of 2026.
- Programmatic Advertising Associate has emerged as the most sought-after fresher role in Delhi, with a hiring intent of 50%.
- Digital Marketing Executive leads the fresher charts in Mumbai, with a hiring intent of 48%.
- Both roles feature among the top five fresher roles nationally.
- Across all sectors, overall fresher hiring intent has improved to 75% in the second half of 2026, up from 73% in the first half.
One detail worth noting: the 59% figure for marketing is slightly lower than the 62% recorded in the first half of the year. The report frames this not as a slowdown, but as a shift toward more specialised entry-level roles, employers want fewer generalists and more freshers who can hit the ground running on live campaigns.
Why festive season matters for ad-tech jobs
Every year, the months around Diwali bring the heaviest advertising spends in India. Brands compete for attention across search, social media and e-commerce, and that surge creates temporary but real pressure on marketing teams. This year, the report says, the pressure is showing up in fresher hiring.
The roles in demand tell the story. Programmatic advertising, buying ad space through automated platforms, is a hands-on skill where freshers can be productive quickly. Digital marketing executives handle day-to-day campaign operations, audience targeting and media planning. Neither role existed in its current form even five years ago, and colleges have barely begun teaching them.
What employers are actually looking for
According to the report, employers are less impressed by classroom theory and more interested in candidates who can show practical execution. The skills that keep coming up:
- Campaign optimisation and audience targeting
- Media planning and search marketing
- Ad performance analytics and data interpretation
- Understanding of digital advertising platforms
- Performance-led decision making on live budgets
In plain terms, they want freshers who can open an ad dashboard, read what the numbers say, and fix what is not working. The report also points to advanced certification courses in Digital Marketing and Analytics as a practical way for candidates to bridge the gap between college and the job market.
How freshers can use this window
The opportunity is real but narrow. Festive-season hiring spikes tend to fade once campaigns wind down, so candidates who act in the next few weeks have the best shot. A sensible playbook:
- Learn one ad platform properly. Hands-on familiarity with how campaigns are set up, targeted and measured matters more than a certificate alone.
- Build a small portfolio. Even a mock campaign for a fictional brand, with screenshots of targeting choices and budget splits, shows execution ability.
- Target Delhi and Mumbai first. The hiring intent numbers, 50% and 48% respectively, are the strongest signals in the report.
- Speak the language of analytics. Being able to explain what a campaign’s numbers mean is exactly what the report says employers want.
FAQs
Which fresher roles are most in demand right now in marketing?
Programmatic Advertising Associate in Delhi and Digital Marketing Executive in Mumbai, both ranked among the top five fresher roles nationally by the TeamLease EdTech Career Outlook Report.
What percentage of marketing employers plan to hire freshers in late 2026?
59% of employers in the Marketing and Advertising sector plan to hire freshers in the second half of 2026, slightly below the 62% of the first half.
Is overall fresher hiring improving in India?
Yes. Across all sectors, fresher hiring intent rose to 75% in the second half of 2026, up from 73% in the first half, according to the same report.
What is the report based on?
Responses from 1,097 companies across industries and cities in India, collected between May and July 2026.
Do freshers need a degree in marketing to apply?
Not necessarily. The report stresses practical skills, platform knowledge, campaign analytics, over formal qualifications, and flags advanced certification courses as a way in.
The festive rush will pass, as it does every year, but the direction it reveals will stay. Employers are telling freshers, in numbers this time, that knowing how to run a campaign beats knowing how to describe one.
