Hiring in India's white-collar job market stable in March 2025: Report

NEW DELHI: Hiring trends in the Indian white-collar job market remained stable in March 2025, according to a report on Wednesday.

Most major sectors remained up and ended close to last year’s base, with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI-ML) making a significant mark, with hiring growing at 25 per cent year on year (YoY).

However, a few sectors ended up in the red as compared to March 2024: retail (-13 per cent), oil and gas (-10 per cent), and education (-14 per cent), reported IANS.

"We were expecting some transient dips owing to the extended holiday weekends in March. However, the overall Index and most major sectors staying stable vs. last year is a promising takeaway for us. Robust growth in pockets like AI-ML, emerging technologies, and senior professionals’ cohort added a silver lining to the March trends,” said Dr.Pawan Goyal, chief business officer, Naukri.

Interestingly, the emerging-tech sub-sector under IT that comprises companies working in technologies like crypto and blockchain witnessed a +36 per cent growth. In addition, IT startups also witnessed a +11 per cent growth in March 2025.

"India’s job market is heading for a major upswing in 2025, driven by rapid digital transformation, sectoral expansion, and the rise of flexible work models," according to Arghya Sarkar, Founder of Kolkata-based recruitment firm Recruitment Mantra. Sarkar is not only a recruiter but also a TEDx speaker, YouTuber, and blogger.

“We are witnessing a pivotal shift not just in terms of quantity but in the quality and structure of employment being created,” Sarkar added.

Sarkar also emphasized the importance of India’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem, now the third-largest in the world. "With continued support from initiatives like Start-up India, start-ups in health tech, ed-tech, and green tech are set to generate significant employment, especially for youth and first-time job seekers," he said.

The job market revealed a clear preference for specialised technological roles. Machine learning engineers topped the chart with an extraordinary +88 per cent growth, followed by search engineers at +39 per cent and investment banking analysts at +35 per cent, the report said.

Similarly, the design sector posted a +30 per cent YoY growth overall, with architecture and interior design sub-sectors seeing a +27 per cent growth in entry-level hiring, the report said.

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