Mumbai, June 1 -- Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), one of India's largest employers, may have reduced its new hirings by as much as 90,000 in fiscal year 2026 (FY26) from the previous year. The sharp recruitment decline comes at a time when conglomerates are increasingly focusing on upskilling existing employees in artificial intelligence (AI) and redesigning roles in their current talent pool, rather than expanding workforce.

This loss of recruiting appetite signals a worrying trend at a time when advent of AI, global wars, supply chain crisis and a stringent economy has dampened many a hiring plan.

"As of March 31, 2026, the Group's headcount is 4.19 lakh+, comprising 1 lakh+ new hires, with focused recruitment in AI, data science, aut...