India’s white-collar job market saw 4% year-over-year growth in February. This was driven by strong hiring in artificial intelligence, hospitality, and real estate sectors, reported Naukri JobSpeak Index. According to reports, the index stood at 2,890 points, indicating a bright job market, with notable recovery in sectors that faced challenges in 2024.
“AI/ML hiring continues its buoyant trend; it is also encouraging to see sectors like hospitality and real estate driving growth,” Pawan Goyal, chief business officer of Naukri said.
“The job market has begun the year on a positive note, showing growth in both January and February,” said Goyal, highlighting the reverse trend of hiring slowdown witnessed last year.
Hiring in the AI-ML sector surged 21%, whereas the hospitality industry surged 20% year-over-year, recovering from a 3% decline last February. Additionally, the real estate sector saw a 9% increase in hiring.
Job Market Data
Here’s how the hiring surged or declined in various sectors in February:
| Sector/Role | Change (%) |
|---|---|
| FMCG | +8% |
| Pharma | +5% |
| Global Capability Centres | +2% |
| Banking Hiring | -6% |
| IT Hiring | Flat (Signs of recovery) |
| Emerging IT Centres | |
| – Jaipur | +19% |
| – Coimbatore | +10% |
| Retail Sector | -4% |
| Consumer Durables | +25% |
| Garments and Accessories | +15% |
| Beauty and Wellness | +13% |
| Specialized Tech Roles | |
| – Data Scientists | +76% |
| – Machine Learning Engineers | +70% |
| – Search Engineers | +52% |
| – Security Consultants | +44% |
| Fresh Graduate Hiring | Stable |
| Hospitality | +23% |
| Telecom | +11% |
Moreover, senior professionals, having the experience of 16 years, also saw a hiring uptick of 15%, with high-salary roles of more than Rs 20 lakh per annum witnessing a jump of 21%.
