Internship Opportunities in India Surge by 200% in 5 Years, Highest in Management: Survey

Internship options for Indian students have gone up by 200 percent in the previous five years, according to a survey by the career-tech platform Internshala. With the changing nature of India’s job market in mind, the report offers a thorough overview of the internship landscape.

Despite not providing a year-by-year breakdown, the Annual Internship Hiring Trends 2024 report did show that, in 2023, business development and management accounted for 44 per cent of all internships. This demonstrated how much need there is for profiles in customer service, operations, business development, digital marketing, sales, and marketing. Engineering came in second at 20 per cent, providing technology-focused internships in programming, AutoCAD, civil, web, and app development.

Public relations, creative writing, journalism, videography, and photography were among the many distinct profiles represented in the media sector, which made up 18 per cent of the total internships. Out of all the categories, design accounted for 5 per cent, education and volunteering for 3 per cent each and around 2 per cent in Finance and data science which also made significant contributions.

Pre-placement offers (PPOs), which are contingent on intern performance, were given out in 23 per cent of internships, per the statistics. Fourteen per cent of internships were in offices, with the remaining forty-eight per cent being virtual internships offering flexibility to work from home. In 2023, the monthly stipend average was Rs 8,000, while the highest amount paid out was Rs 1,35,000. The average duration of internships was 3.66 months, with a range of one week to six months.

Sarvesh Agrawal, the founder and CEO of Internshala, shared that the platform has been dedicated to raising awareness about internships and connecting students with meaningful opportunities. He noted, “Internship opportunities have witnessed a remarkable 200 percent growth in the past five years, representing a 3x growth since 2018.”

With 34 per cent of internship openings, Delhi-NCR accounted for the largest share geographically, followed by Mumbai (16 per cent), Bengaluru (10 per cent), Pune (5 per cent), Hyderabad (3 per cent), and Jaipur (3 per cent).

Upon analysing recruiting preferences, recruiters found that verbal/spoken English ability ranked highest, around 15 per cent, while digital marketing, social media marketing, and MS Excel were critical requirements in 4 per cent of internships each. Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, creative writing, SEO, and Photoshop were also in high demand, making up 3 per cent of internship opportunities.