White-collar hiring in India increased by over 6% in June, with AI and machine-learning positions showing a notable 25% year-on-year growth, as per a report by Naukri. The report highlighted that insurance saw a robust 16% growth, followed by FMCG at 7%, telecom at 6%, real estate at 5%, and BPO/ITES and pharma/biotech at 4% each.
The Naukri JobSpeak Index rose to 3027 from 2854 a year ago, marking a steady 4% growth in the first fiscal quarter. Fresher hiring also saw an 8% year-on-year increase in June and a 9% growth for the April–June quarter, with hiring growth observed across various experience bands.
Hiring for the 4-7 years band grew by 2% YoY, 8-12 years at 7%, 13-16 years at 12%, and 16+ years at 9% in June. City-level hiring showed positive trends, with Kolkata at 12% growth, Hyderabad at 11%, Chennai at 10%, and Bengaluru at 7%.
In emerging cities, Bhubaneswar experienced a surge of 21%, Indore nearly 15%, and Coimbatore almost 10%. Across functions, media production & entertainment recorded a 24% growth, followed by healthcare & life sciences at 22%, and IT & information security at over 18%.
Hitesh Oberoi, MD & CEO of Info Edge (India) Limited, noted that while IT hiring has slowed down, AI hiring within the sector grew by 16% YoY in June. He emphasized the increasing importance of AI as a core capability area, particularly for senior and specialized talent demands.
GCC hiring remained stable nationally, with southern markets like Chennai witnessing a 19% increase and Hyderabad at 15%. Telecom hiring turned positive in June with a 6% YoY growth, following a period of pressure. The sector saw a significant rise in fresher hiring, up by 25% YoY.
