Recruiters struggle as many walk away at the last stage

India Inc. is plagued by candidates dropping out after accepting a job offer, indicating hesitancy in the job market.

- Devina Sengupta

India Inc. is plagued by candidates dropping out after accepting a job offer, indicating hesitancy in the job market. Many candidates prefer to stay back and pick up a counteroffer from their current employer than join a new place, a Mint+Shine study found. For 22% of the companies surveyed, dropouts were the "biggest hiring challenge" in the June quarter.

Typically, attrition rises in the June quarter, since many candidates with job offers in hand wait till the pay hikes are out. However, most corporate appraisals are over this year, but there is no flurry of job switches.

Mint+Shine surveyed 254 senior executives and 2024 job seekers for its Talent Insights Report.

Meanwhile, budget constraints forced many companies to go slow on hiring, the survey found. Extended hiring timelines and low engagement with job-seekers were added factors that prompted prospective join-ees to turn dropouts.