Hyderabad leads metro hiring growth at 23%
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad recorded the highest growth in hiring among India’s major metro cities in August, with recruitment rising 23% year-on-year, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak Index.
The city outpaced all other major metros in hiring growth, the report said. The index, released by Naukri.com, tracks trends in India’s recruitment market.
The overall white-collar jobs market also showed clear improvement, recording 14% annual growth in August. The Naukri JobSpeak Index rose to 3,028 points from 2,664 points in August last year.
Hiring increased across both information technology (IT) and non-IT sectors and among candidates at different experience levels.
Analysts said the hiring trend should be viewed in the context of the shift in the festive season. While the festive season began in August last year, it has moved to September this year, affecting recruitment figures.
Info Edge (India) Ltd managing director and CEO Hitesh Oberoi said the market’s underlying progress would become clearer after the festive quarter.
Vehicle sector grows, education hiring declines
Among sectors, vehicle-related recruitment led the growth with a 19% increase. Healthcare hiring rose 16%, while retail recorded 15% growth.
Insurance jobs increased 12% and software hiring rose 11%. Banking and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) each recorded 10% growth, while business process outsourcing/information technology-enabled services (BPO/ITES), oil and gas, and real estate each grew 8%.
Pharma and biotechnology hiring remained at last year’s level.
In contrast, recruitment in tourism and hospitality declined 4%, while education hiring fell 8%.
Experienced candidates see stronger hiring demand
Companies continued to show greater demand for experienced professionals. Hiring of freshers, or those starting their careers, increased 15%.
Recruitment in the four-to-seven years’ experience category grew 10%, while the eight-to-12 years category recorded 16% growth. Hiring among professionals with 13 to 16 years of experience rose 18%, while opportunities for those with more than 16 years of experience increased 13%.
Smaller cities also record strong hiring growth
Among metros, Kolkata followed Hyderabad with 22% growth, while Chennai recorded 20%. Bengaluru and Pune, the major IT hubs, each registered 14% growth.
Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) recorded 10% growth and Mumbai 7%.
Among tier-II cities, Bhubaneswar recorded the highest growth at 32%. Raipur followed with 23%, while Surat and Ranchi recorded 21% and 19% growth respectively.
India leads global hiring outlook
India ranked first globally for hiring intentions for the October-December quarter, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.
The survey put India’s net employment outlook at 54% for the fourth quarter of 2028, up 6 percentage points from the previous quarter and 11 percentage points from the same period last year.
The survey covered 3,055 organisations across the country. Of these, 65% expected to increase their workforce between October and December.
Only 11% of organisations expected to reduce their workforce, while 24% anticipated no change in employee numbers.
