India’s white-collar job market continued its gradual upward trajectory in August, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index rising to 2,664, a 3% increase compared with 2,576 in August last year. The growth was largely driven by non-IT sectors, highlighting a broad-based hiring momentum outside traditional tech roles.
Insurance led the pack, recording a 24% year-on-year (y-o-y) rise in job postings, with metros such as Kolkata (+36%) and Delhi-NCR (+30%) fuelling the demand. Mid-level professionals with four to seven years of experience saw the highest increase (+34%), followed by freshers (+25%) and professionals with 8-12 years of experience (+16%).
Insurance, hospitality, startups power hiring momentum
The hospitality and travel sector maintained its strong performance, posting a 22% y-o-y growth in August. Delhi-NCR (+41%) and Chennai (+19%) emerged as key hiring hubs. Notably, the sector also stood out for fresher recruitment, which surged 44% y-o-y, underscoring the industry’s role as a gateway for entry-level talent.
While the IT sector saw an overall decline of 6% y-o-y, IT startups bucked the trend with a 10% rise in hiring. Startups and unicorns across the country also saw notable growth, particularly in Hyderabad, which logged three consecutive months of positive momentum. Startup hiring in the city jumped 30% y-o-y, while unicorns recorded an even sharper 45% rise, highlighting Hyderabad’s emergence as a critical hub in India’s innovation ecosystem.
Kolkata, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad drive white-collar job growth
Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI-ML) roles continued to show robust demand, surging 54% y-o-y in August. The growth was concentrated in metros, with Kolkata (+101%) and Hyderabad (+80%) leading the way, followed by Delhi-NCR (+72%) and Chennai (+67%). Hiring increased across experience levels, with job for freshers up 7% y-o-y and 8% higher for seasoned professionals with 16+ years’ experience.
Commenting on the trends, Pawan Goyal, chief business officer at Naukri, said, “Two patterns stand out in August. Non-IT sectors continue to anchor job-market growth, while Hyderabad is emerging as a hotbed for startup hiring, leading overall job growth among metros.”
As India’s employment landscape evolves, these trends highlight a diversification of opportunities across sectors and cities, signalling optimism for job seekers across experience levels and industries.