A wave of leading global trading firms – including Citadel Securities, IMC Trading, Millennium, and Optiver – are accelerating their India strategies, deepening their presence in the country’s rapidly expanding equity derivatives market. This shift is fuelling a major hiring push and prompting domestic exchanges to invest heavily in technology upgrades.

According to the Futures Industry Association, India accounted for nearly 60% of global equity derivatives trading volumes in April 2025, contributing significantly to the 7.3 billion contracts traded globally that month. Domestic regulatory data shows that notional turnover in these contracts has expanded 48 times since March 2018, underlining the country’s outsized growth trajectory.

Global firms see India’s large retail investor base and relative insulation from external shocks, such as protectionist trade measures by U.S. President Donald Trump, as key drivers of this opportunity. The country is increasingly being viewed as a stable, high-growth alternative in global capital markets.

One of the clearest signals came from Jane Street, a U.S.-based trading firm, which reportedly earned $2.34 billion through its India-based strategies in 2024 alone. Such performance has not gone unnoticed.

“We have seen competition increasing both on the trading front, where more players are chasing the same opportunities, and on the job market as well,” said Jocelyn Dentand, Managing Director of IMC Trading India.

Dentand added that IMC plans to expand its India team by over 50%, aiming for more than 150 employees by the end of 2026.

Foreign investor confidence in Indian equities has also rebounded. After months of outflows between October 2024 and March 2025, driven by high valuations and tepid earnings growth, April and May saw a turnaround, with net purchases totalling $2.8 billion.

Citadel Securities, founded by billionaire investor Ken Griffin, currently operates with a lean team of around 10 professionals in India but has reportedly increased its capital allocation to its Indian operations. A source close to the company noted, “In India, we’re constantly looking for talent and constantly hiring,” though further details were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, Netherlands-based Optiver, which entered the Indian market in 2024, aims to grow its local workforce from 70 to 100 employees by the end of 2025.

“Optiver is investing ambitiously in India… and plans to scale further in the years ahead,” the company said in a statement.

Other major players such as Da Vinci (Amsterdam) and Qube Research and Technologies (London) are also expanding their India hiring, with several open roles in quantitative research and trading advertised on public job platforms.

A Talent Race and Tech Arms Race
To support expansion, global trading firms are tapping into India’s top engineering and quantitative talent, heavily recruiting from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and now increasingly widening their search to other universities as well.

Recruitment data from Aquis Search, a Hong Kong-based executive search firm, suggests that global trading firms have collectively hired over 300 professionals in India in the past two years, spanning roles in trading, software engineering, compliance, risk, and legal.

“We foresee a good run for the next few years,” said Annpurna Bist, Head of Quant and Tech at Aquis Search.

The talent rush is driving significant wage inflation. According to Bhautik Ambani, Head of AlphaGrep Investment Management, salaries for even entry-level traders have more than doubled compared to three years ago, a reflection of intensified competition and premium placed on top-tier quantitative skillsets.

India’s Exchanges Respond with Infrastructure Upgrades
The influx of high-frequency and algorithmic trading activity is also pushing Indian exchanges to upgrade infrastructure to match global standards.

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has announced plans to add 2,000 co-location server racks – specialized infrastructure that dramatically reduces trade execution times by physically housing trading firms’ systems next to exchange servers – over the next two years.

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which had no such infrastructure in March 2024, is aiming to build out 500 co-location racks by fiscal year 2026.

“We are a late entrant and need to provide additional value for the unfulfilled demand from high-frequency and quant firms,” said Sundararaman Ramamurthy, CEO of BSE.

So far, the BSE has already spent between ₹4.5 billion and ₹5 billion (approx. $52–58 million) on technology upgrades over the past two years.

What’s Hot and What’s Not: Decoding India’s Job Market in 2025

India’s job market in 2025 is undergoing a fundamental transformation, shaped by technological disruption, demographic shifts, and the growing demand for human-centric skills. As industries accelerate their digital journeys, employers are not just looking for technical proficiency, they’re seeking well-rounded professionals who can bridge technology with empathy, insight, and adaptability.

Recent industry surveys indicate that 76% of companies now prioritize digital literacy as a core skill, reflecting the near-universal digitization of business processes. However, two other key competencies have emerged as nearly equally important: customer experience management (68%) and effective communication skills (63%).

This suggests that organizations are increasingly valuing a hybrid skill set, where technical know-how is complemented by the ability to engage, understand, and serve diverse human needs.

Sectoral Momentum –  EVs, E-Commerce, and 5G Drive Hiring Uptick
On the industry front, several sectors stand out for their hiring momentum. At the forefront is automotive, particularly the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem. Government incentives and expanding charging infrastructure have led to a sharp rise in demand for skilled talent in battery technology, vehicle design, embedded systems, and clean mobility logistics.

Similarly, e-commerce continues to serve as a powerful employment engine. With logistics optimization, supply chain innovation, and last-mile delivery tech playing pivotal roles, companies in this space are aggressively hiring across functions—from software engineering to warehouse automation specialists.

Tech startups remain active recruiters, particularly in fields like SaaS, fintech, healthtech, and edtech. The agility and innovation embedded in startup DNA are helping these firms attract high-potential talent.

Another major hiring wave is taking shape in the telecom sector, driven by the rollout of 5G networks and the concurrent demand for cloud computing infrastructure and cybersecurity protocols. In fact, nearly 50% of telecom companies are expected to hire fresh graduates in the first half of 2025, according to hiring trend trackers.

The AI-ML Surge: Data-Driven Roles in Demand
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) continue to dominate skill demand, with AI-ML-related hiring increasing by 25% year-on-year as of March 2025. Employers are looking for engineers and analysts proficient in Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, NLP (Natural Language Processing), and real-time data processing.

Data analytics, cloud platforms, and DevOps are also witnessing significant traction, particularly as businesses seek to become more predictive, scalable, and agile in response to market volatility.

Top-Paying Tech Roles in India 2025

Below is a curated list of the highest-paying technology roles in India’s current job market. These roles not only offer strong financial rewards but also long-term career resilience and global demand.

Software Engineering Manager

Mobile Applications Developer

Information Systems Security Manager

Database Manager

Data Security Analyst

Product Manager

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer

Front-End Developer

Full-Stack Developer

Cloud Architect

DevOps Engineer

Blockchain Engineer

Software Architect

Big Data Engineer

Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions Architect

Data Scientist

Cyber Security Engineer

IT Systems Security Manager

Applications Architect

Data Architect

Site Reliability Engineer

Development Operations Manager

IT Security Specialist

Application Analyst

User Interface Designer

Application Developer

Business Intelligence Analyst

Software Test Engineer

Information Technology Manager

User Experience Designer

Business Intelligence Developer

Machine Learning Engineer

Solutions Engineer

Network Security Engineer

Data Warehouse Architect

Cloud Engineer

Enterprise Architect

Network and Computer Systems Administrator

Digital Marketing Manager

Prompt Engineer

The Last Bit, Blending Tech with Human Skills
As India’s job market matures, the most valued professionals will be those who can merge deep technical expertise with human-centric capabilities. Whether you’re a fresh graduate aiming for a role in AI or a mid-career professional shifting to cybersecurity or product management, the emphasis in 2025 will be on agility, communication, digital fluency, and emotional intelligence.

The tech industry, known for rapid innovation, continues to offer some of the most lucrative and impactful roles. From DevOps to Data Science, Cybersecurity to Cloud Engineering, and AI to Prompt Engineering, a wide array of opportunities awaits those who invest in continuous learning and skill alignment.