Mumbai, Feb 2 (PTI) The Union Budget 2026-27 has placed skilling at the centre of workforce development, with a sharper focus on MSMEs, capex, and future-facing industries, aimed at building a more formal,
job-ready, and geographically distributed talent ecosystem, experts said.
"Union Budget 2026 represents a fundamental shift in how India approaches workforce development. By prioritising capex, MSMEs, skills and future-facing industries, the government has laid the foundation for a more formal, skilled and geographically distributed talent ecosystem," said CIEL HR MD and CEO Aditya Narayan Mishra.
He said, from an HR perspective, this is exactly what the market needs, a move away from reactive hiring to proactive workforce capacity building.
Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services said the Union Budget 2026-27 sends a clear signal that India's next phase of growth will be powered by AI-led digital capabilities, large-scale skill transformation, and globally competitive technology services.
The proposed Education to Employment and Enterprise framework is a timely intervention to bridge the curriculum-industry gap, particularly in emerging areas such as AI, data engineering, and digital platforms, where demand is outpacing talent readiness, he said.
Kartik Narayan, CEO - Jobs Marketplace, Apna.co, stated that the government's textile roadmap, from Mega Parks in challenge mode to the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Samaj initiative, is a well-thought-through intervention in India's labour economy.
"It recognises that scale, clustering and skills must move together if manufacturing is to deliver jobs with dignity and income growth. By linking this push with the Samarth 2.0 skilling framework, the focus shifts from headline job creation to building a workforce that can compete in global supply chains," he said.
Randstad India MD and CEO Viswanath PS opined that the Union Budget marks a decisive shift from intent to impact, setting the stage for sustained job creation through an execution-driven agenda.
"We welcome the targeted investments in high-value sectors like biopharma, manufacturing, and semiconductors, which, alongside the new Rs 10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, will accelerate demand for specialized talent and formal hiring models across the country," he said.
Lohit Bhatia, CEO, Quess Corp, said this Budget signals a decisive shift towards Viksit Bharat @2047, moving from subsidy-led support to structural enablement.
With a sharp focus on the SET framework (Scale, Efficiency, Technology) for MSMEs, the introduction of Corporate Mitras, and an ambitious push to secure a 10 per cent share of global services, the government is laying the foundation for a formal, high-value employment-driven economy positioning India as the world's talent and technology capital, he said.
"The rationalisation of TCS to 1-2 per cent is a major Ease of Doing Business reform for the staffing and services sector, instantly freeing up working capital and strengthening the entire ecosystem," he added.
Dr Nipun Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship said, with a 58 per cent increase in women apprentices already recorded from 2021 to 2024, the new Rs 10,000 crore District Hostel scheme is the physical infrastructure our Degree Apprenticeship business needs to reach the 'unreachable.'.
"By solving the housing crisis for women learners, we can now mobilize the 42 per cent of undergraduate women who currently drop out of the workforce pipeline," she added.
Roy Aniruddha, Co-Founder and Chairman TechnoStruct Academy, said, "The government's announcement of five university townships near industrial and logistics corridors is a significant step towards strengthening industry-academia collaboration and creating a skilled workforce aligned with real infrastructure demands.".
Pawan Gupta, CTO at SkillsCapital said that the push to accelerate growth beyond metropolitan regions, including targeted development across Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and temple towns, is a significant step toward building a more balanced, inclusive and nationally distributed economic ecosystem.
Also, establishing a national framework to continuously align education, enterprise and emerging technology trends is a decisive step toward building future-ready talent at scale. Initiatives like this strengthen India’s foundation to become one of the world’s most trusted sources of skilled, digitally ready and globally deployable workforce, Gupta said.
Pan IIT Alumni India Chairman Prabhat Kumar said the Union Budget sends a clear signal that India's next phase of growth will be knowledge-led, technology-driven and deeply inclusive.
"For the IIT ecosystem, this is both an opportunity and a responsibility. Our faculty and alumni must step forward as the nation's brain trust, shaping the AI discourse with evidence-based research that balances productivity with employment. The emphasis on clinical trial networks, sector-specific platforms and deep-tech funding underscores the need to move from academic outputs to translational, problem-centric research deployed at scale," he said.
Equally important is the role of IITians in mentoring the next tier of institutions and startups, ensuring that expertise is shared, not siloed and the focus on women in STEM and grassroots capacity-building calls for IITs to lead by example, he added.
Gig platform TimBuckDo co-founder Mythri Kumar said, the Union Budget 2026'27 takes a decisive step towards building Viksit Bharat jobs by formally recognising the gig economy as a critical pillar of India's workforce.
"Measures such as social security coverage, digital ID cards and access to government services for gig workers bring long-awaited dignity, stability and inclusion to millions of independent professionals. The National Digital Knowledge Grid and education-to-employment focus will unlock new-age opportunities for creators, researchers, local experts, startups and MSMEs," he added.
Adecco India Director and Business Head - General Staffing, Deepesh Gupta said, the Union Budget sets a clear direction for employment-led industrial growth, but the real opportunity lies in how manufacturing expansion and MSME support translate into formal workforce absorption.
"If implemented effectively, these measures can significantly expand regular wage employment and deepen workforce formalisation across regions," he added. PTI SM MR
