Hyderabad leads metro hiring growth as India’s white-collar jobs rise 2%

White-collar hiring in India grew 2 per cent year-on-year in September, with demand for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) professionals recording the strongest growth, followed by the automobile sector, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak report.

The Naukri JobSpeak Index rose to 3,053 in September from 3,002 in the same month last year, indicating broadly stable hiring conditions.

The monthly index, published by Naukri.com, tracks hiring trends based on new job postings, including free listings, and recruiter searches on the platform.

AI/ML hiring increased 20 per cent year-on-year in September, while the automobile sector recorded 11 per cent growth. Hiring in BPO/ITES and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) rose 4 per cent each.

Several other sectors remained broadly stable, including insurance, retail, banking and financial services, and real estate. However, hiring declined by 4 per cent each in IT/software services, pharma/biotech and FMCG, while healthcare hiring fell 3 per cent.

Hospitality and travel recorded an 11 per cent decline, while education saw hiring drop 18 per cent during the month.

Hiring at entry-level positions remained relatively stable, with fresher recruitment rising 1 per cent year-on-year. Hiring in the 4-7 years' experience category declined 2 per cent.

In contrast, demand for experienced professionals continued to strengthen. Hiring grew 5 per cent for candidates with 8-12 years of experience, 7 per cent for those with 13-16 years of experience and 5 per cent for professionals with more than 16 years of experience.

Among major cities, Hyderabad recorded the highest growth at 9 per cent, followed by Chennai at 6 per cent. Bengaluru and Kolkata registered 4 per cent growth each.

Pune's hiring activity remained stable, while Delhi-NCR and Mumbai recorded declines of 6 per cent each. Hiring in emerging cities was largely unchanged during the month.

Info Edge (India) Managing Director and CEO Hitesh Oberoi said the September data showed a steady but increasingly selective hiring market, with employers showing greater demand for specialised skills, particularly AI, and experienced professionals.