New Delhi, Oct 1 The Indian job market has witnessed a double-digit growth in September, with hiring increasing year on year (YoY) for freshers as well as for experienced professionals, according to a report on Wednesday.
The report by job portal Naukri showed that fresher hiring grew more than 15 per cent YoY, while demand for professionals with over 16 years of experience rose over 13 per cent YoY.
Among metros, hiring growth was mainly led by Hyderabad, which posted more than 15 per cent YoY growth, followed by Pune, which witnessed over 13 per cent growth.
Key non-IT sectors like insurance (+28 per cent), real estate (+26 per cent), BPO/ITES (+24 per cent), education (+22 per cent), and hospitality (+19 per cent) were the frontrunners in September. The IT sector remained stable with a +1 per cent growth in the month.
The report showed that the country’s white-collar job market marked an over 10 per cent YoY increase in the second quarter of FY'26, which lifted the quarter's overall growth to more than 7 per cent.
“The 10 per cent growth in September rounds out a solid Q2 FY'26, with a 7 per cent overall increase in white-collar hiring during the quarter. It's particularly notable how sectors like insurance and hospitality have sustained their momentum over the last three quarters, while fresher hiring continues to witness positive growth alongside,” said Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.
The report showed that the demand for high-paying roles spans across experience levels. In September, hiring for positions in the 20+ LPA band grew by 23 per cent YoY overall. While freshers saw the sharpest increase at +41 per cent, mid-level professionals recorded +27 per cent, and even senior talent (16+ years of experience) posted a healthy +19 per cent growth.
In addition, emerging technologies (+85 per cent) and AI-ML roles (+61 per cent) witnessed impressive double-digit growth. The demand for AI/ML roles spanned experience bands, with 55 per cent YoY growth in the 0-3 years cohort and 86 per cent YoY in the 13-16 years segment. Metros like Pune at +91 per cent YoY and Chennai at +71 per cent YoY anchored this activity.
The BPO/ITES sector witnessed an exceptional double-digit hiring growth in emerging cities, a trend consistent over the past quarter. Ahmedabad led the growth with a +82 per cent uptick, followed by Jaipur (+50 per cent) and Baroda (+19 per cent).
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