New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- Deferred bonuses, joining incentives, and clawbacks are now embedded in the high compensation offered at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), reflecting a fiercely competitive job market and concerns over talent attrition. Mint examines whether these measures will actually help companies hold on to their hires.

High-frequency trading (HFT) firms such as Quadeye, Graviton Research Capital, NK Securities, Quantbox Research, and Squarepoint Capital are providing performance- and joining-based bonuses to lock in candidates immediately after offers are made. Texas Instruments, for example, offers restricted stock units (RSUs) with a four-year vesting period.

While joining bonuses have long been part of campus offe...