Hyderabad drives surge in women’s flexible IT workforce

New Delhi: Led by major tech hubs such as Hyderabad, women’s participation in contractual and flexible roles in India’s IT and ITeS sector has risen to 40% in FY26, up from about 30% in FY22, according to Careernet’s report, Women in IT/ITeS: Trends in Contractual/Flexi Roles.

Based on an annual sample of around 3,000 contractual placements, the study highlights the growing preference for flexible work arrangements among women. Despite the rise, women currently make up about 30% of the overall contractual talent pool, around 96,000 professionals out of an estimated 3.2 lakh workforce.

Role preferences show a tilt towards core business functions. Finance and accounting lead with 43% participation, followed by data science and analytics at 34%. UX, design and architecture roles account for 31%, while IT, information security and software engineering continue to see steady involvement. Consulting roles remain relatively underrepresented. Geographically, participation is concentrated in major tech hubs. Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune together account for over half of the talent pool. Delhi NCR and Chennai also contribute significantly, while Mumbai and Kolkata have smaller shares. Tier-2 cities account for about 11%, indicating the trend remains metro-driven.

The report notes that most women in flexible roles are in the early to mid stages of their careers. Professionals with 5–8 years of experience form the largest cohort, followed by those with under two years’ experience, underscoring strong adoption among both emerging and mid-level talent.