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According to the latest ‘Naukri JobSpeak’ report, white-collar hiring in the country increased by 14% in August compared to the same month last year. During this period, recruitment gained momentum in sectors such as auto and retail.

August brought relief to India’s professional job market. Companies across various sectors increased recruitment, and the outlook improved for freshers seeking employment. According to the latest ‘Naukri JobSpeak’ report, white-collar hiring in the country rose by 14% in August compared to August of the previous year. Recruitment picked up pace in sectors like auto, healthcare, and retail. The ‘Naukri JobSpeak’ index reached 3,028 in August, up from 2,664 in August of the previous year. However, the index for August was 6% lower than the 3,227 recorded in July. The report also noted that the August figures should be viewed in the context of the shifting timing of the festive season; while many festivals fell in August last year, their impact will be more visible in September this year.

Job opportunities increased for freshers too

August saw a rise in hiring not only for experienced employees but also for candidates at the start of their careers. Recruitment of candidates with up to three years of experience grew by 15% year-on-year. In the insurance sector alone, fresher hiring surged by 37%. A 10% increase was recorded in the hiring of professionals with 4 to 7 years of experience. Meanwhile, hiring for candidates with 8 to 12 years of experience rose by 16%, and recruitment of professionals with 13 to 16 years of experience increased by 18%. Demand for candidates with over 16 years of experience also saw a 13% rise.

Highest growth in auto, healthcare, and retail

Sector-wise, hiring in the auto and auto-ancillary sectors increased by 19%. Growth of 16% was recorded in healthcare and 15% in retail. Insurance saw a 12% rise, while IT grew by 11%. Hiring in the banking and FMCG sectors increased by 10% each. Growth of 8% was noted in BPO-ITES, oil & gas, and real estate, whereas hiring in pharma and biotech remained largely stagnant. The situation was the opposite in some other sectors; hiring in hospitality and travel fell by 4%, while education, teaching, and training saw an 8% decline. Recruitment in media, dot-com, and entertainment also dropped by 14%.

Rising demand for AI and machine learning roles

Demand for technology-related jobs remained strong in August. Hiring for AI and machine learning roles saw a year-on-year increase of 31%. Overall hiring in IT and software engineering rose by 11%. Within the IT sector, AI/machine learning roles grew by 12%, and IT/information security roles saw a 32% increase. Function-wise, hiring increased by 34% in healthcare and life sciences, 33% in media production and entertainment, 30% in engineering hardware and networks, and 29% in BFSI, investment, and trading. Recruitment in GCCs also rose by 10%.

Rapid hiring pace in Hyderabad and Kolkata

Among major cities, Hyderabad led the way with a 23% increase. This was followed by Kolkata (22%), Chennai (20%), Bengaluru and Pune (14% each), Delhi-NCR (10%), and Mumbai (7%). Among emerging cities, hiring in Bhubaneswar rose by 32%, while Raipur saw a 23% increase. Additionally, strong growth in recruitment figures was recorded in Surat and Ranchi.