Want a decent salary hike? The best place to be right now could be India.
According to insights from Randstad India, corporate salary increments in India are projected to range from 8-11% this year, with junior professionals expected to receive the highest increases of 10-11%.
This shift reflects a growing trend towards skill-based compensation, allowing professionals with specialized expertise to negotiate salaries more flexibly.
It amounts to a big financial boost for India’s growing middle class.
Companies are increasingly focusing on hiring and upskilling freshers and junior-level candidates to meet organizational needs, yielding positive outcomes across industries.
Conversely, senior professionals may see “lower” salary hikes, averaging 8-9%, while medium-level professionals can expect around 9-10% increments.
Why pays the best?
Sectors like internet/e-commerce, manufacturing, and BFSI are likely to offer the highest increments, driven by factors such as value-added models in e-commerce and technological advancements in manufacturing.
Why get closer to India? About 600 million people, more than half India’s population, are under 25 years old; no country has more young people. Remember the economic impact of the western “baby boom”? It is time the west moved closer to India in trade, culture and tourism. What do you think? As the great Indian philosopher Rabindranath Tagore said: “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
Stephen Manallack is a Director of India strategy consultants the EastWest Academy Pty Ltd and compiled the secrets of Indian business success and cross cultural issues while preparing his book for the Indian market, Soft Skills for a Flat World (Tata McGraw-Hill). He has led several trade missions to India and is a Cross-Cultural Trainer.
Proud to stand with film Director Dr Vikrant Kishore at the launch of his new and disturbing documentary
INTO INDIA does not know much about India’s caste system – but attending the launch of a new film called “Resisting Caste(ism) in Australia” we learned that the negative impact of caste has crossed the ocean.
A new documentary film launched this month by Melbourne academic and film maker Dr Vikrant Kishore tells the story of caste discrimination through the voices of those affected by it. It is a powerful and sad story.
INTO INDIA hopes this film is a giant step towards a wider debate and a new conversation about what it means to be an Indian Australian – in fact, what it means for all of us to be Aussie. This is the biggest migrant group in this country, so the topic is deeply important for us all.
Australians have always believed in equality of all, so caste discrimination goes against everything important that Aussies have stood for.
INTO INDIA would like to finish this post by honoring an Indian who opposed caste discrimination – B.R. Ambedkar – who was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, a champion of social justice, and a transformative leader who fought for equality, education, and the rights of marginalized communities.
Many of those interviewed in the film honored his legacy. INTO INDIA is proud to stand with them in honoring this champion of justice and equality.
Two PM’s and two friends – Indian PM Modi is greeted in Melbourne by Australian PM Albanese
INTO INDIA is so excited to see Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Melbourne this week. Welcome!
But why is Modi here? Of course, INTO INDIA has a view:
DIASPORA
India is now Australia’s largest source of migrants. The extended Indian diaspora here is around one million. Modi engages with Indian communities around the world – it is simply good politics.
URANIUM
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Modi will unleash a surge of Australian uranium exports to India. The Aussie Government hopes you won’t see too much media on this one.
INVESTMENT
AustralianSuper is one of the biggest Australian investors in India and will announce its commitment to India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund with a further $500 million, taking the fund’s overall holdings in India to $3.3 billion.
THE QUAD AND CHINA
Yes, most things are in some way about China. Within the four powers (India, Australia, Japan and USA) which form the QUAD – itself a response to growing China power and influence – India’s closest friend is Japan. Australia is emerging as a serious long=term friend of India. This visit helps that.
FULL FTA
During PM Modi’s visit to Melbourne, the Australia India CEO Forum (which works out of the Business Council of Australia – the “big end of town”) will meet and the Aussies will push hard for a FULL free trade agreement. We might make progress.
INTO INDIA also hopes that the Business Council of Australia and Aussie PM Albanese will get together to plan a major political and business mission to India – hopefully before the end of this year.
In relationships, one visit deserves another in return!
Stand tall, confident and celebrate your “Indianness” and now also your “Aussie-ness”.
Open your heart to this new world, even if sometimes it might seem strange and perhaps harsh.
People are just people, we all want to be happy, and we all gain happiness through our connection with others – like you. It’s just that many of us don’t know this.
Did you know that 68 per cent of Indian-born migrants hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, almost double the 36 per cent of Australian-born residents? Nearly a third hold postgraduate degree.
And Indian-born migrants have the highest proportion of top income earners of any group at 18.2 per cent, compared to 15.9 per cent of Australian-born residents, and the lowest share in the bottom income bracket.
You are more than paying your way, you are adding to Australia.
Now Indian migration is our number one source – replacing England. You are top of the tree and making us stronger.
Stay surrounded by your family and Indian friends, while you build relationships with non-Indian Australians like me – it is not one or the other, you can have it all and will be stronger for it.
Become the light of Diwali, the colour of Holi.
Keep your values – beliefs, religion, cultural background as your anchor. It is a big part of what makes you you, and what makes you important to us
Never lose the ability to accept success or failure as just “things” that come and go – this is what I have learned from India.
“Assimilate” is a misused term that often means “become more like us”. You will lose your superpower if you do. Make the most of your superpower as an Indian Australian and find your way forward with it – don’t lose something to gain something. Instead add something to gain something. Assimilation does not understand this.
Never forget one of the great Indian wisdoms – setbacks are inevitable, but in every setback, there are two things – the setback itself and your attitude to the setback. It is this second one that can keep you strong.
I hope you never confront hatred, but if you do, just remember that hatred cannot be solved by hatred, but by love alone. I learned this from India.
We are one. And we are many. Thank you for being in Australia.
Stephen Manallack
Blogger at Into India
Former President, Australia India Business Council (Vic)
Author “Soft Skills for a Flat World” published in India by Tata McGraw=Hill India
Choosing your best points of entry to India is one of your biggest decisions.
INTO INDIA has always advised that it is almost foolhardy to regard India as “1.4 billion customers” all in the one market, waiting eagerly for your product or service. Going there often enough, you will discover that far from being a single market, India is a “country of countries” – many differences, many cultures.
The biggest differences occur from state to state. India has 36 states and territories
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a uniquely high-profile Prime Minister, it is the states who exercise a lot of the power.
States make key policy decisions in infrastructure development, land and labour, healthcare and transport, licensing and permitting. On top of this there are layer upon layer of cultural differences from region to region. It’s complicated.
The “big 6 states” with the highest GDP are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and West Bengal. But should they be your first choice?
States that are going to provide the warmest welcome and have the best ranking for ease of doing business are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Should they be your priority?
Wherever you choose, two things really make the difference in terms of successful market entry:
You need to be present, consistently available, interested and committed to this market
Your market entry will flourish on the foundation of your relationships (this can be tricky for Australian business which is remarkably transactional)
INTO INDIA is a big fan of the work of government agencies such as Austrade and the state trade offices in India. Talk to them – often.
Australia’s trade relations with India have grown well since our free trade agreement, and the potential for longer term growth is enormous.
Recent data shows Australia now has a one million Indian-born community.
For perspective – this growth lifts India above England as Australia’s top overseas country of birth for the first time.
It gets bigger.
There are over 35 million “overseas Indians” living across more than 200 countries according to the Indian government.
Now, through a global movement called “Indiaspora”, Australian Indians can be super connected around the world with these fellow Indian migrants.
No other migration group globally has these numbers and this reach.
A report released in March by Indiaspora found the number of overseas Indians has tripled since 1990.
But the story is not just the number of people.
Overseas Indians have enormous financial clout. Indiaspora estimates the diaspora earns a combined US$730 billion ($1,030 billion) a year, not including business income, stock options, and property holdings.
Indian-origin leaders permeate the highest levels of global corporations, especially in the technology sector.
Indiaspora’s Australia country head, Jai Patel, a good friend and leader of Australia-India business and investment, who also leads KPMG’s India Business Practice, speaks enthusiastically about harnessing the knowledge and experience of “leading lights across India’s global diaspora”.
“Australia’s diaspora provides connections not just to India but to the global diaspora in many other parts of the world,” says Patel. “There is a huge opportunity for us to plug into that.”
Exciting for Australia – but it might take time to reach full potential.
Australia’s Indian diaspora is the “new kid on the block” – Indians have a much longer heritage in countries like the US, Britain and Canada.
With this new generation of switched on Indians, I am sure we will get there.
It could change Australia’s connectivity globally.
Matt Wade, a veteran of good reporting about India, wrote an outstanding analysis for The Age – READ MORE HERE:
The India-USA trade deal, recently announced, is up there with the best thrillers – who got who? Who won? Did anybody sell out?
And this one finished with a flourish and hint of a future drama – the Indian Commerce Minister, grilled on the likely higher US imports, responded that competitiveness of local industry should win over protectionism. More drama ahead.
India’s PM Modi and USA’s President Trump are mega leaders – macho in style.
But Trump effective 7 February lifted the punitive 25% tariff on India on the promise of no further purchases of Ruddian oil. Mysteriously PM Modi has made no comment on the oil.
INTO INDIA cannot side with critics who suggest Modi has bowed to US pressure.
We see this as a step in the right direction. Cheap Russian oil was always “old India strategy”. Perhaps the new strategy is access to the world’s largest market – the USA.
This is a win for pragmatism – after all, the USA is India’s biggest trading partner and source of capital; and for the US, India is another step in its wish to hedge China’s rise.
Winners and losers? Who knows. Perhaps we have a long-term strategic shift this time.
INTO INDIA has consistently called for greater cross-cultural preparation for Aussie firms going into India (and Asia). Here is an absolute gem on this topic.
Read on from DAVID THOMAS…
From an early age, I was taught that the squeaky door is the one that gets the oil. This is typical western thinking. We’re raised to be soloists – standing out, grabbing the spotlight, speaking with confidence and getting the deal done in record time (preferably before lunchtime!).
But as soon as you step into Asia, you realise that the squeaky door doesn’t get greased – it gets replaced. The “We” reigns supreme. It’s a collective world where harmony and trusted relationships are the engine of commerce.
While a Westerner is busy trying to be the “disruptor,” the local players are busy building consensus. If you push too hard or make someone “lose face” just to prove a point, you haven’t won a negotiation – you’ve closed a door forever. I’ve seen this happen myself and it often comes as a surprise (until you’ve thought really hard about what happened).
In an individualistic culture, the contract is the start of the relationship. Here in Asia, the relationship IS the contract.
It’s the same principle as that left-hand turn in local traffic; it only works because everyone is subconsciously looking out for the group as a whole. If everyone drove with a “Me first” attitude, the whole city would grind to a halt.
To succeed in Asia, you have to trade the “I” for the “Us”. You have to learn that fitting into the rhythm is far more powerful than trying to beat the drum yourself. And just like navigating those chaotic streets, you certainly won’t feel that pulse from a distance!
For decades Australia has talked about the growing importance of India – while in reality putting all its energy into relations with China and the USA.
2026 could be the year of the big shift to India.
As my good friend Mugunthan Siva, CEO of India Avenue Investment Management, points out – “For Australia, the implications are clear. India is not simply a fast‑growing market; it is a strategic partner.”
A new strategic relationship is emerging — one built on complementary strengths, shared economic interests, and long‑term structural alignment. India is becoming increasingly significant for Australia, and the shift is now being reinforced at the policy level.
What is the evidence?
As of January 2026, Australia will scrap tariffs on all Indian exports – this is the outcome of the India-Australia Economic and Trade Agreement (ECTA). Siva believes this is not just a symbolic gesture – “It is a structural reset”.
In the past both countries have really seen each other as short term “transactional” targets. Now we shift in 2026 to long term economic partners.
Mugunthan Siva says: “For Australia, it opens the door to deeper integration with the world’s fastest‑growing major economy. For India, it strengthens access to a stable, high‑income market with strong demand for services, resources, and education.”
Why is this so strategic?
We love the growth story of India, but in 2026 our relations could become a “strategic story”, powered by four engines from the India side – demographics, digitisation, financialisation and formalisation.
Maybe this time it really is “happy new year” for India and Australia.
A game such as cricket can change our society, and this is surely the case for girls and young women growing up in India.
The Indian women’s cricket team won their first World Cup, playing to a sold-out suburban Mumbai stadium of 45,000-seat capacity and drawing over 300 million views online.
Can you imagine how many girls are now dreaming of a sporting future?
In India, this win means women’s cricket is now standing on its own merit, and there will be millions of young women turning up to play the game – which in itself is a social change.
Advertising and sponsorships will flood in for this team.
But the powerful BCCI, India’s cricket governing body, must increase women’s tournaments so they have more game time and add Women’s Premier League teams to absorb new talent. Demand for local coaching and equipment will explode – and the BCCI needs to step up.
Change from the BCCI has been slow – for example, this week the board announced a bonus of 510 million rupees for the women’s team, less than half the 1.25 billion rupees it gave to the men’s team when they won the T20 World Cup last year.
They cannot ignore the level of “love of the game” among Indian women and cricket fans around the world.
Let’s hope for an India vs Australia final for the next women’s world cup!
As the Indian diaspora continues to grow in Australia, you can see Indian culture such as Diwali having a big impact in communities across the nation.
Australia is home to a rapidly expanding Indian community.
According to an MEA report, approximately 1 million Overseas Indians live in Australia. The Indian diaspora is the second-largest and fastest-growing in Australia. As of September 2023, there are 122,391 Indian students, making them the second-largest group of foreign-born students in the nation.
Meanwhile, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 268 into law, putting Diwali on the list of 12 state holidays. The new law, which will go into effect next year, allows community colleges and public schools to close on Diwali, and state government employees can choose to take the day off.
Diwali is such a charming and engaging event – and celebrates the triumph of light over dark, good over evil – it is an uplifting message for our times.
INTO INDIA would love to hear from you – do we need a public holiday for Diwali?
Into India 