As per the report, 59% of employers in the Marketing and Advertising sector plan to hire freshers in the second half of 2026 (Photo: AI Generated)With India at the onset of the festive season, the digital advertising and marketing sector is increasingly looking for candidates who can work with online campaigns, data, and advertising platforms, creating fresh job opportunities for young professionals, according to a new report by TeamLease, an EdTech company.According to its recent report, the role of Programmatic Advertising Associate has emerged to be the most sought-after fresher position in Delhi, showing hiring intent of 50%. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, the Digital Marketing Executive role leads with a hiring intent reported to be at 48%.Considering the hiring trend at a broader level, 59% of employers in the Marketing and Advertising sector plan to hire freshers in the second half of 2026. The number is slightly lower than the 62% recorded in the first half of the year. However, the demand for specialised entry-level roles reflects the importance of professionals possessing practical knowledge of digital advertising platforms, campaign performance, and audience engagement, according to the report.Read | One in 5 Indian college students is already an entrepreneur: IIT Mandi’s GUESSS India 2025 reportThe two in-demand roles, Programmatic Advertising Associate and Digital Marketing Executive, have also been listed among the top five fresher roles nationally, the report said, highlighting the interest of employers in hiring entry-level candidates who understand digital advertising.Overall in India, the hiring outlook for freshers has improved, with the intent across all sectors increasing to 75% in HY2 2026, up from 73% in HY1 2026.Employers today are looking for candidates who can simply convert their knowledge into practical execution, particularly for campaign optimisation, audience targeting, media planning, search marketing, and ad performance analytics.Story continues below this adThe report has also identified advanced certification courses in Digital Marketing and Analytics as a tool to help candidates improve their skills in order to cater to the current job market.These findings are part of TeamLease EdTech’s Career Outlook Report for the second half of 2026, which is based on responses taken from 1,097 companies between May and July 2026 across various industries and cities in India.