India’s white-collar job market inched up in August, with the JobSpeak Index reaching 2,664 — a 3 percent year-on-year rise from 2,576 in the same month last year, according to a report released on Monday.
Non-IT sectors were the main growth drivers, led by insurance (24 percent), hospitality and travel (22 percent), BPO/ITES (17 percent), education (16 percent), and real estate (18 percent), job portal Naukri said in its report.
The IT sector, however, slipped 6 percent YoY, though IT unicorns stood out with a 10 percent rise in hiring.
Hiring activity picked up at both ends of the experience ladder — freshers saw a 7 percent YoY increase, while senior professionals with over 16 years of experience recorded an 8 percnet rise.
Meanwhile, demand for AI-ML roles surged 54 percent YoY in August, sustaining the momentum seen in recent months.
Across metros, Kolkata (101 percent) and Hyderabad (80 percent) led the growth, followed by Delhi-NCR (72 percent) and Chennai (67 percent).
The hospitality sector continued its strong run with a 22 percent YoY jump, posting growth in seven of the past eight months.
“In August, two clear trends emerged — non-IT sectors remain the backbone of job market growth, and Hyderabad has rapidly become a startup hiring hub, leading metro-level job expansion,” said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.
Delhi-NCR (41 percent) and Chennai (19 percent) were major contributors, while fresher hiring surged 44 percent YoY in the hospitality sector.
Hyderabad extended its three-month streak of strong startup and unicorn hiring. Startup recruitment in the city rose 30 percent YoY, far outpacing the overall 3 percent increase, while unicorns recorded a 45 percnt YoY rise.
The insurance sector also shone with a 24 percent YoY increase in August, led by Kolkata (36 percent) and Delhi-NCR (30 percent).