Mumbai, April 11 The placement of women in contractual or flexible roles in the IT and IT-enabled services sector has reached 40% in FY26, reflecting the growing adoption of the workforce model, a report said on Saturday.
The number of women in such roles increased by 10 percentage points from FY22 to FY26, reaching 40% in FY26, according to a report by Careernet, a talent solutions provider – "Women in IT/ITeS: Trends in Contractual/Flexi Roles."
The most preferred roles are in finance and accounting (43%), followed by data science and analytics (34%), UX, design, and architecture (31%), IT and information security (29%), and engineering – software and QA (27%), it said.
Consulting (20%) continues to lag, indicating areas with greater potential for inclusion, the report added.
The Careernet report is based on an annual sample of 3,000 placements in contractual positions in FY26 and was compared with data from the last four fiscal years.
Regarding geographical preference, the report found that the talent pool remains concentrated in metropolitan hubs, with Bengaluru (21%), Hyderabad (20%), and Pune (17%) driving the majority of participation.
Delhi NCR (13%) and Chennai (9%) follow, while Mumbai (7%) and Kolkata (2%) contribute smaller shares, the report said.
Tier II cities account for 11% of women's participation, highlighting a continued concentration in established tech corridors, it added.
In terms of career span, the report said that women's participation is strongest in early to mid-career stages, led by professionals with 5-8 years of experience (31%), followed closely by those with less than 2 years (30%) – together accounting for a significant share of the active talent pool.
However, participation declined at senior levels, with 9-14 years (13%) and over 14 years (4%), indicating gaps in retention and advancement, it added.
"Over the past five years, women's participation in IT/ITeS has evolved beyond just numbers to the kinds of roles they are choosing. Finance and accounting leads the mix, signalling that this is no longer a peripheral participation story. Women are increasingly gravitating toward functions that sit at the core of business outcomes," said Neelabh Shukla, Chief Business Officer at Careernet.
The number of women in such roles increased by 10 percentage points from FY22 to FY26, reaching 40% in FY26, according to a report by Careernet, a talent solutions provider – "Women in IT/ITeS: Trends in Contractual/Flexi Roles."
The most preferred roles are in finance and accounting (43%), followed by data science and analytics (34%), UX, design, and architecture (31%), IT and information security (29%), and engineering – software and QA (27%), it said.
Consulting (20%) continues to lag, indicating areas with greater potential for inclusion, the report added.
The Careernet report is based on an annual sample of 3,000 placements in contractual positions in FY26 and was compared with data from the last four fiscal years.
Regarding geographical preference, the report found that the talent pool remains concentrated in metropolitan hubs, with Bengaluru (21%), Hyderabad (20%), and Pune (17%) driving the majority of participation.
Delhi NCR (13%) and Chennai (9%) follow, while Mumbai (7%) and Kolkata (2%) contribute smaller shares, the report said.
Tier II cities account for 11% of women's participation, highlighting a continued concentration in established tech corridors, it added.
In terms of career span, the report said that women's participation is strongest in early to mid-career stages, led by professionals with 5-8 years of experience (31%), followed closely by those with less than 2 years (30%) – together accounting for a significant share of the active talent pool.
However, participation declined at senior levels, with 9-14 years (13%) and over 14 years (4%), indicating gaps in retention and advancement, it added.
"Over the past five years, women's participation in IT/ITeS has evolved beyond just numbers to the kinds of roles they are choosing. Finance and accounting leads the mix, signalling that this is no longer a peripheral participation story. Women are increasingly gravitating toward functions that sit at the core of business outcomes," said Neelabh Shukla, Chief Business Officer at Careernet.