J
ob titles are usually associated with professional success as being promoted from an executive to a manager or from a manager to a senior manager would normally be accompanied by increased responsibilities and higher compensation. But the recently conducted Indeed survey shows the opposite trend regarding this issue in the case of professionals in India.
Approximately six in 10 Indian professionals believe their job title does not correspond to their financial reward. It means there is the increasing discrepancy between the job designation and compensation of employees. This survey also confirms the tendency to inflate titles by giving senior-looking job titles to employees without offering them any extra pay or perks.
One has to wonder if it really means good career advancement if people get higher job titles but not additional compensation.
It should be noted that more than half of all Indian professionals believe that their job title and compensation packages do not match. Therefore, it can be assumed that there is a substantial proportion of employees who may carry titles that do not correspond to their actual recognition level in terms of salaries.
The title of an employee is often perceived as one of the most important determinants that define his image within the organization and the evaluation of his professional experience in the case of searching for another employer. Nevertheless, according to the results of the survey, it can be assumed that this does not necessarily go hand in hand.
To put it simply, a certain person might get the designation with terms such as 'senior,' 'lead,' or even 'manager' but continue receiving compensation similar to a lower designation. It means that the title could give him the additional recognition, which is not supported by additional compensation.
The question is how a person could actually be sure whether he has made the progress in his career or just received the additional designation.
One of the most important findings revealed in the context of the survey is the increasing role of title inflation in the modern business environment. Nearly 80% of all professionals claim that the inflation of titles became common in different industries.
Title inflation refers to the situation when the company grants its employees impressive or even senior titles without granting extra authority, responsibility, and, what is more important, compensation.
There can be several reasons why the company chooses to grant a certain employee the title, which does not necessarily coincide with the real experience and skills. Sometimes employers may choose title inflation as a form of recognition of an employee if it is hard to increase his salary now. In some cases, companies use such an approach in order to attract or retain talented professionals.
For employees, salary continues to be among the major yardsticks for determining financial appreciation. While an improved designation would definitely boost someone's professional reputation, it does not automatically boost their financial standing.
In most cases, compensation packages are dependent on many factors, including skills, experience, responsibilities, industry of specialization, place, and market forces. Indeed, it itself recognizes the variance in salary rates based on different considerations such as industry, geographical location, experience, and education.
That being said, individuals must assess any proposed career change not based on the designation that comes with the role but the overall compensation as well as comparing the roles with their responsibilities with market salaries.
A senior position having lesser responsibility as well as pay will probably turn out to be less rewarding compared to a lesser designation in a position that enjoys better salary levels as well as offering better learning and empowerment.
At a time when the dynamic is shifting between job designations and salaries, the changing nature of compensation is occurring at a time when firms are increasingly prioritizing skills.
Indeed states that skills-based payment is a system where the employee's set of skills and experience determine his/her rate of pay regardless of the designation.
This becomes especially important in fast-paced industries like information technology. In cases where employees specialize in certain skills, they can command relatively high salaries even if there have been no changes in their designations.
Indeed's annual survey of 2026 also indicated the growing role that artificial intelligence skills play in hiring and compensation in the Indian markets. The vast majority of the respondents in this study stated that they offered higher salaries to employees with AI skills, while a few organizations were reportedly willing to pay premiums for highly desired AI skills.
The issue with job titles is also connected to growing salary transparency in Indian labor market.
According to the recent Indeed India salary research, more than half of the job openings in India included salary disclosure in the beginning of 2025, while the same figure was 26% for 2022. In addition, nearly two thirds of job seekers expressed their preferences concerning salary disclosure when looking for a job.
Growing salary transparency may help to minimize the uncertainty of compensation. While it is hard to estimate salary based on the job title, employees have the possibility to compare salaries with similar job responsibilities.
The survey data can also be crucial for organizations. The problem of mismatching job title and remuneration might result in various troubles associated with worker contentment and retention rate.
While the title can be used as a recognition method, its value might decrease as the worker perceives that the title serves as an alternative for additional money.
Thus, there might arise the necessity for the organizations to set up the connections between job level, responsibilities and financial compensation. Setting up transparent criteria for promotion would help workers to understand what needs to be accomplished in order to advance to the next level and get corresponding remuneration.
