Grand titles, modest pay: Survey shows mismatch between designation and salary
A survey by Indeed reveals that nearly 60% of Indian professionals feel their job titles do not match their compensation, a phenomenon known as title inflation. While employees value titles for career progression, they increasingly demand that these roles be backed by fair pay.
Why it matters
The mismatch between job titles and salaries highlights shifting workplace dynamics and the strategic use of titles by employers to retain talent amidst budget constraints.
Nearly 6 in 10 professionals in India say their job title does not reflect their compensation, revealing a growing disconnect between recognition and reward in India’s workplaces, according to the latest quarterly hiring tracker of Indeed, a global hiring platform.
According to the survey, nearly 80% of professionals believe title inflation, a practice where grand job titles are awarded without a corresponding increase in pay, has become common across industries.
The survey, conducted by Valuvox on behalf of Indeed in May and June 2026, reached 1,211 employers and 2,533 employees representing a mix of industries, organisation sizes, age groups, career stages, and locations across tier 1, tier 2, tier 3 cities, and rural India.
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