Samsara Inc is expected to offer a compensation of up to ₹1.2 crore (£109,580) at IITs for software engineer roles, according to Mint’s review of job profiles with placement cells. But this includes a performance bonus of £6,630 and £36,650 worth of equity vested over three years. A relocation bonus is also available for candidates who will need to relocate to London.

High-frequency trader NK Securities, one of the top recruiters at the IITs by compensation offered, is seeking a quantitative researcher and a software developer. While the compensation is expected to be around ₹80 lakh, it includes a joining bonus of ₹2 lakh, a fixed bonus of about ₹25 lakh, and variable pay and non-cash benefits.

The joining bonuses have typically been part of the compensation. But over the years, startups and AI companies have been wooing IIT students with stock options to compete with the more established firms.

“Retaining top-tier engineering talent, especially those coming out of institutes such as the IITs, is increasingly tough due to multiple factors,” said Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner and head of the education and skill development practice at KPMG in India.

“First, youngsters today want to explore options before they find their calling, which means they’ll stick to a job only if it is both interesting and remunerative. Second, job roles are rapidly changing, and corporates would need agile and adaptable talent, particularly when they have spent some time understanding the organisation culture and requirements,” Ramaswamy added.

To retain talent, organizations have devised tactics like good sign-on bonuses, retention bonuses, financial clawbacks, and generous employee stock options (Esops), he said. “The goal is to keep their intellectual flock together, and extend the value that they bring for a longer period by preventing quick departures. That said, even these measures are successful only up to a point, rival firms buy them out with an even sweeter deal.”

Over the past couple of years, newer, artificial intelligence-focused firms got top slots during the IIT placement season. That coincided with a hiring slowdown from the pandemic-era frenzy. However, IITs saw some uptick in hiring momentum in 2025.

This year, high-frequency trading companies, including Quadeye, Graviton Research Capital, NK Securities, Quantbox Research and Squarepoint Capital, are offering performance and joining bonuses. The objective is to secure the candidate as soon as the offer is made.

Texas Instruments will offer around ₹40-43 lakh to graduates and postgraduates at IITs. The company’s job description at one of the IITs indicates $10,000 worth of restricted stock units (RSUs) that have a vesting period of four years, according to documents reviewed by Mint. RSUs are a retention tool where employees are granted a fixed number of shares after a specified period, during which they must fulfil performance criteria.

Preference for variable pay

Consulting firm Aon’s September report also found a growing preference for variable pay and bonuses in salaries offered to graduates from top engineering and business schools. A majority of the 200-plus companies surveyed anticipated moderate to high growth in campus recruitment, the report found. Organizations are focusing on performance incentivisation through variable pay, ranging from 10% to 12%, it said.

While master’s in business administration (MBA) and engineering graduates have seen slight increases in total cost to company (TCC), the rise is primarily driven by variable pay and joining bonuses rather than fixed pay, according to the study.

Placements at IIT are a barometer of how campus recruitments in India will shape up over the next few months. The older IITs–Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Roorkee, Guwahati–started their final placements from early hours of 1 December. High-frequency trading companies including Da Vinci Trading, tech giants Tesla Inc., Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp, and Nvidia Corp., and aircraft makers Airbus and Boeing are among the companies that will clash to win the best engineering talent, Mint reported on Monday.

“There has been no change in median salaries and bonuses this year, with compensation levels remaining broadly consistent with prior cycles,” Airbus told Mint in an emailed response. “Adjustments, where applicable, have been made in line with industry benchmarks and business priorities to ensure competitiveness and fairness.”

The plane maker will recruit from IIT Bombay, Kanpur, Madras, and Kharagpur, and the roles on offer include structural analysis, flight physics, simulations, and advanced system studies.

Palo Alto-headquartered healthcare firm Risa Labs is looking to recruit for system engineer and associate product manager roles for its offices in India and the US. Founded by IIT Kanpur alumni Kshitij Jaggi and Kumar Shivang, the healthcare startup is expected to offer a compensation of around ₹36 lakh in India and $150,000, with an additional $30,000 worth of stocks (about ₹1.6 crore total) in the US.

Bonus clawbacks

To counter attrition, some companies have incorporated specific provisions for clawbacks if candidates leave before a stipulated period.

Automaker TVS Motor Ltd noted that the joining bonus of ₹3 lakh comes with a clawback of three years. Publicis Sapient will offer a deferred cash payment of ₹2 lakh on completion of the first year, and a similar amount after two years.

IDFC Bank Ltd, too, has an explicit clawback provision. “If an employee resigns before completing one year, he/she will have to pay ₹1 Lakh towards training expenses,” reads the bank’s job description given to students. The lender will offer multiple roles with offers ranging from ₹23-27 lakh for roles of associate data analysts and associate data scientists, respectively.

Siemens Energy, which is seeking substation control and protection engineers, will offer ₹14.5 lakh in cost-to-company (CTC). It will also pay a joining bonus of ₹1.5 lakh “with a clawback of 2 years”.

Analytics and digital solutions firm EXL’s terms include a clawback of the joining bonus and an anniversary bonus. The bonuses of ₹1 lakh each will be given at the time of joining and upon completion of one year, respectively. If the new employee leaves within the stipulated period, the bonus will be taken back.

In an emailed response to Mint’s queries, Rajesh S. Nandanwar, senior vice president for talent acquisition at EXL said bonuses including for joining and retention, clawbacks, and stock options have become standard practices across the industry.

“Rather than being seen as obstacles, these mechanisms are designed to reward and motivate those who are genuinely committed to an organization’s vision,” he said. “We view such bonuses, clawbacks, and stock options as valuable incentives that reinforce long-term engagement and help align individual aspirations with the company’s success.”

Queries emailed to Samsara, Quadeye, Graviton Research Capital, NK Securities, Quantbox Research, Squarepoint Capital, Texas Instruments, Risa Labs, Siemens New Energy, TVS Motor, Publicis Sapient and IDFC First Bank remained unanswered.

Reliance Industries Ltd is offering a deferred bonus of ₹5 lakh and an annual cash bonus of ₹1.05 lakh, according to Mint’s review of the company’s job description shared with one of the IITs. The company is hiring graduate engineer trainees for its sites in Jamnagar, Haziram, Patalganga, Vadodara, Nagothane, Dahej, Bangalore and Navi Mumbai.

“There is a differentiated compensation offered to graduates from IITs- 9 Lakh on joining, and 10.55 Lakh on Confirmation post 1 year of training period,” said a Reliance Industries spokesperson in an emailed response to Mint’s queries. “We value long term association and thus, offer a deferred bonus for graduates who stay back beyond 3 years.”