Hey there,

New year, new budgets, new org charts and January 2026 has already given us plenty to talk about.

From buzzing CHRO movements to cautious fresher hiring and red-hot AI roles, the job market is sending clear (and sometimes conflicting) signals.

We’ve pulled together key insight and here is a quick, credible snapshot of where hiring is headed — and what it means for HR leadership.

🤔🤔The Employee Experience Reality Check: Are We Doing Too Much, Yet Missing the Point?

Employee Experience is not about fancy perks or once-a-year policies. It is about how work feels on a random Tuesday. Yet many HR teams are stuck with fixing tools instead of experiences. When systems feel clunky, employees feel tired. And engagement slowly slips away.

Where HR Feels the Pain:

• Scattered Interactions: Too many emails, too many forms, too many follow ups. Everyone is chasing something.

• Quiet Employees: Feedback shows up late. Problems stay hidden. Burnout walks silently.

• Everyday Friction: Leave requests, pay slips, documents, approvals. Small tasks that somehow take forever.

• Awkward Engagement: Appreciation feels forced. Recognition is scheduled. The magic is missing.

• Blurred Visibility: No clear picture of sentiment, participation, or howteams are actually doing.

How Zimyo Fixes the Experience:

• ✅Employee Self Service that lets employees help themselves without chasing HR.

• ✅Real-time engagement through quick surveys, shout-outs, and social feeds that feel natural.

• ✅One simple HRMS to listen faster, act smarter, and improve every day.

Built for today’s teams, Zimyo makes work feel lighter, smoother, and more human. Because when Employee Experience feels right, performance follows naturally.

🔥 The CHRO Market Is Officially on Fire

According to The Economic Times (Jan 17, 2026), CHRO hiring has gone into overdrive this month, with 20+ senior HR leadership appointments announced in January alone.

Companies such as Ather Energy, Duroflex, Schneider Electric, and several others have made notable CHRO moves. The article points to:

• Higher leadership churn after restructuring cycles

• Growing pressure on HR to lead AI, automation, and workforce redesign

• The CHRO’s expanding role as a boardroom strategic partner

Simply put: HR is no longer a support function — it’s a transformation engine.

🚀 Tech Hiring: Growth Is Back (But It’s Selective)

As forecasted by Adecco India (Jan 16, 2026), tech hiring in India is expected to grow 12–15% in 2026, translating to nearly 125,000 new tech jobs.

The growth, however, is sharply focused. Demand is strongest for:

• AI & ML

• Cybersecurity

• Cloud and digital infrastructure

BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing are leading this demand — signaling that digital talent is now a business-critical investment, not a discretionary spend.

⚖️ Hiring Is Up — But It’s Mostly Replacement Hiring

The “India Hiring Outlook 2026” report adds an important nuance: while overall hiring intent stands at 11%, nearly 60% of hiring is replacement-led.

The same report highlights:

• 44% of organizations accelerating AI adoption

• Leaner team structures

• Increased focus on productivity per headcount

Translation for HR: workforce planning in 2026 is less about “more people” and more about the right skills in the right roles.

🎓 Fresher Hiring Gets a Reality Check

As covered by The Economic Times HR News, Wipro has reduced its FY26 fresher intake to 7,500–8,000, reflecting a broader industry trend.

Meanwhile, big IT firms are cautiously resuming niche hiring after last year’s freezes — but only for roles that directly support revenue, platforms, or AI transformation.

This aligns closely with insights from India Today, which explains why many job seekers feel the market is tougher:

• Fewer entry-level openings

• Higher skill expectations

• Longer hiring cycles

💰 Pay Is Rising — If You Have the Right Skills

Multiple reports, including Economic Times HR and industry analysis, note an 18% rise in median tech compensation last year.

Even more striking:

• AI/ML and hard-to-fill digital roles are commanding 25–70% pay premiums

• Companies are willing to pay more — but only for scarce, future-ready talent

For HR leaders, this creates a delicate balance between cost control and capability building.

💡HR Thought of the Week: Culture Isn’t a Policy—It’s a Practice

You can write the best policies in the world, but culture is built in everyday moments—
how employees feel, how they’re recognized, and how connected they are to each other.

That’s where tools like EngageWith by Springworks quietly make a difference.

Build a people-first culture.
Help teams appreciate each other, strengthen belonging, and stay motivated—without adding extra work for HR.

✔️ Engage employees meaningfully
✔️ Drive productivity through recognition
✔️ Empower teams to celebrate wins, big or small

Because when people feel valued, performance follows.

🧠 What This Means for HR & CHROs

January’s data sends a consistent message:

• HR leadership is under sharper spotlight than ever

• Hiring is cautious, intentional, and skill-driven

• AI is reshaping not just roles — but org structures, pay bands, and leadership expectations

The CHRO agenda for 2026 is clear: transform, not just transact.

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🧠HR Meetups You’ll Actually Enjoy

We’ve been busy at TSOW bringing awesome people together through our HR meetups — think good conversations, shared learnings, and a whole lot of “oh wow, same here!” moments.

If you love talking all things people, culture, and work-life magic, this one’s for you ✨

Take a peek below to see if you (or someone from your HR circle 👀) can join us for the next meetup. We’d love to have you there!

✅The Future workforce Blueprint: India 2030 Saturday, January 31

This ia a closed-door, CHRO-focused experience bringing together industry leaders, academia, and workforce innovators to decode what India’s workforce must become — and how we build it together. Seats are limited - reserve yours today!

✅TSOW HR Meetup in Chennai, Saturday, January 31

Hang out with HR peers, swap insights, and leave inspired with actionable strategies. Oh, and there’s a digital badge for bragging rights! Limited seats—grab yours before they’re gone.

✅TSOW HR Meetup in Delhi, Saturday, February 7

Meet your fellow HR trailblazers, share stories that only HR folks truly get, and walk away with fresh ideas you can actually use. Oh, and yes - there’s a shiny digital badge for showing off your HR cred. Limited seats - grab yours before they vanish!

✅TSOW HR Meetup in Mumbai, Saturday, February 14

Connect with an incredible community of HR professionals, exchange real-world insights, and walk away with renewed clarity and confidence, and of course — your digital badge awaits! Seats are limited - save your spot now.

📊Before we sign off, we’d love your take:

Wishing you a strategic, people-powered start to 2026.

~ Team TSOW