The year’s deadlines, late nights and endless to-do lists all lead to one prized moment — appraisal season. The big question: who gets the biggest slice of the payday pie?Salary hikes may not be hitting double digits across the board next year, but for professionals in electric vehicles, fintech, healthcare and engineering, the pay outlook looks brighter than most. A new TeamLease Jobs and Salaries Primer report projects salary increments of 8.6% to 10.2% across industries in FY26-27, with fast-growing sectors and technical roles expected to stay ahead of the curve.The report shows that industries riding on expansion and infrastructure demand are likely to deliver the biggest pay increases. Electric vehicle (EV) and EV infrastructure, financial tech, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and power and energy are expected to lead the salary growth chart, with average increments ranging between 9.6% and 10.2%.The strongest salary growth is expected in technical and engineering positions. Electrical engineers top the list with projected increments of 11.2%, followed by quality control inspectors at 10.9%. IT Support Executives are likely to receive a 10.3% hike, while Quality Assurance Engineers and Site Engineers are both expected to see salaries rise by 10.2%.The report said these projections are “reflecting uninterrupted demand for engineering roles alongside core technical and on-ground operational capabilities.”Among cities, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad stand out as the leading destinations for salary growth across sectors. The IT industry, in particular, is expected to offer some of the highest pay increases, with projected increments of 11.7% in Hyderabad, 11.5% in Chennai and 11.3% in Pune.Not every industry is expected to grow at the same pace, but sectors grouped under the report’s “sustainable growth” category are still projected to post healthy increments of 8.9% to 9.5%. This includes Automotive, Retail, Insurance, BPO, FMCG, Logistics and E-commerce.Even within these industries, certain jobs are expected to outperform the average. “Despite moderate industry-wide hikes, select roles are seeing sharper increases, including IT Support Executives (10.1%), Project Engineers (10.7%), EHS Officers (10.1%), Site Engineers (10.1%), and Relationship Executives (10.1%),” the report noted.“This trend shows sustained demand for engineering, technical support, and customer-facing roles that enable infrastructure execution and service delivery across core industries,” the report highlights.The report places Banking, Construction and Real Estate, Telecommunications and Textile under the “gradual growth” category, where salary increments are expected to range between 8.6% and 8.8%. However, some specialised roles continue to outpace the broader sector trend, with Site Engineers projected to receive a 9.8% hike and Telecallers 9.7%.Beyond salary increments, the report also highlights how the gap between permanent and temporary employees varies across sectors.“Lower variance in tech and consumption industries signals tighter temp-perm parity, unlike regulated industries, where gaps remain pronounced,” the report said.Travel and Hospitality is projected to have the smallest salary gap between permanent and temporary workers at 4.2%, followed by power and energy at 4.3% and financial tecnologies at 4.8%.In contrast, manufacturing, engineering and infrastructure is expected to record the widest salary variance at 11.4%, ahead of Insurance at 9.9% and Banking at 9.8%.