India’s employment sector has witnessed a landmark year in 2024, as the country took major steps towards its $5 trillion economic goal. According to the ‘’India at Work 2024 Report’’ by Apna.com, the year saw a staggering 7 crore job applications, marking a 25 percent surge yearly. This increase was triggered by an increase in workforce participation among women and youth. The growth rate can also be credited to flexible work policies, adopting gender-specific initiatives, and the rapid development of women-dominated sectors like e-commerce and healthcare.
Historic surge in Job applications
Women’s contribution to the workforce has climbed at a remarkable level in 2024, with 2.8 crore job applications- about 20 percent increase from 2023. Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru were leading the list in Tier 1 cities with 1.52 crore applications, second slot was bagged by Bhopal and Lucknow under Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Thus, showcasing the growing opportunities beyond traditional metro cities. Moreover, more than 5,000 women joined Apna daily in 2024, indicating an upscale focus on empowering women in meaningful careers.
According to the report, a 28 percent increase in median salaries for women across sectors were measured, with a significant 32 percent leap in applications for managerial and leadership positions. Women were shining in industries like hospitality, logistics, healthcare and retail whereas female participation was also up in non-traditional sectors like sales and security services.
The CEO and Founder of Apna, Nirmit Parikh commented on the evolving job market, ‘’ In 2024, we have taken crucial steps towards building a platform for billions of Indians. Around 129 job applications were submitted every minute and 3,500 daily postings across sectors. Our growth asserts that we are fulfilling ambitions and shaping the future of work in India.’’
Job market for freshers
India’s fresher job market prospered, as applications went up by 27 percent year on year to surpass 2 crores. Youth professionals were attracted towards high-growth sector filed like retail, IT, BFSI and mobility. Around 62 lakhs applications were collected from states like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, whereas states like Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh together generated 82 lakhs.
Small and Medium Business sector boom
The Small and Medium Business (SMB) sector came out as a crucial employment generator, has created 9 lakh jobs in 2024 and has marked a 20 per cent surge from last year. Women’s participation in SBM also witnessed a 60 percent increase in job postings. Around 45 percent of SBMs adopted AI driven hiring tools, thus it lessens the recruitment time by 30 percent and cuts cost by 25 per cent.
A balanced growth of opportunities were observed in the country as cities like Indore, Surat and Varanasi recorded a major hiring activity along with metro cities like Delhi-NCR and Mumbai.
Big enterprises including Bharti AXA, HDFC, Reliance Jio and Aditya Birla notably expanded their hiring activities in 2024,as job postings on Apna rose to by 32 percent. A growing interest in regional talent pools was also observed as tier 2 cities like Lucknow and Jaipur recorded a 1.5x increase whereas Tier 3 cities like Dehradun and Varanasi noted a 3x jump.
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