Placements dip across Karnataka engineering colleges: Large IT firms reducing campus intake; tier-2, tier-3 hit hardest

BENGALURU: Placements at engineering colleges across Karnataka have seen a sharp decline - particularly tier-2 and tier-3 institutions - for the 2024-25 graduating batch, with a sluggish start reported for the 2025-26 cohort.

A significant drop in mass hirings by large firms has left placement cells struggling even in high-demand disciplines like computer science.

"Companies are visiting campuses, but hiring in single digits. In 2024, only about 40% of our students were placed. The situation is similar for the 2025 batch," Nagarjuna College of Engineering and Technology principal Ravishankar BV said. In Mangaluru's Adyar, Rashmi Bhandary, the dean of placements at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, said the number of recruiting companies has reduced this year, making placements harder. "Even in computer-related streams, which have traditionally performed better (in placements), saturation is making it harder to find jobs," she said, cautioning against the assumption that a computer science degree guarantees employment. The shift in hiring patterns is particularly noticeable in the IT sector. Rio D'Souza, the principal at St Joseph's Engineering College, Mangaluru, said he noted a move away from traditional mass recruitment.

Hiring slump raises skill readiness concerns Large IT firms are reducing campus intake, and leaning instead towards coding contests and online assessments. Smaller firms in AI (artificial intelligence) and data science are now driving demand, especially in regions like coastal Karnataka," he explained. In North Karnataka, faculty members echoed similar observations."Computer science is still in demand, but hiring numbers have dropped to nearly 75% over the previous years," said a placement officer.

Several institutions have reported that firms that had previously delayed onboarding have not returned at all this year.The situation has raised concerns about skill readiness."We're seeing a mismatch between intake and training among some computer science graduates," D'Souza added.Anveeth Kateel, the VTU in-charge at National Students Union of India, criticised colleges for presenting inflated placement numbers.

"Many students are ending up jobless or with low-paying call centre roles. There's a gap between what colleges claim and what's actually happening," he said.The trend is also impacting internship durations.Harshith Divakar, the head of placements at National Institute of Engineering (NIE), said delays in offer rollouts have prompted colleges to extend internships from six to 11 months. Yet, not all institutions are sounding alarm bells.

V Ravi Kumar, the dean of placements at Vidya Vardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE) in Mysuru, believes opportunities still exist - especially for students with certifications in AI and emerging technologies.The placement officer at Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, M Pradeep, added that despite global headwinds, hiring remains steady in areas such as IT services, digital engineering and product companies. Overall, though, most colleges agree that the job market for engineering graduates is in a flux, with students now facing a more fragmented and competitive hiring landscape.(Reporting by Sruthy Susan Ullas in Bengaluru; Kevin Mendonsa in Mangaluru; R Uday Kumar in Mysuru and Gururaj Jamkhandi in Hubballi)