AgenciesIndia’s white-collar hiring market remained largely flat in May, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index moving up to 2,836 from 2,807 a year earlier, as demand for AI talent, insurance professionals and fresh graduates helped offset weakness across several sectors.
The Insurance sector emerged as the strongest performer, recording 19% year-on-year growth in hiring, followed by BPO/ITeS (9%), healthcare (6%) and hospitality (5%), according to data released by recruitment platform Naukri on Tuesday.
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“While the job market remained stable in May, demand for high-value talent continued to stand out across industries, with AI/ML roles leading the charge,” said Hitesh Oberoi, managing director and chief executive officer of Info Edge (India), which owns Naukri.
Among major metropolitan markets, Hyderabad continued to outperform with 6% hiring growth, while emerging cities posted even stronger gains. Surat recorded a 9% increase and Coimbatore grew 8%, reflecting a gradual broadening of hiring activity beyond traditional employment hubs.
Global Capability Centres (GCCs) remained a key source of demand, with hiring rising 8% across top metros. Chennai led GCC recruitment growth at 25%, followed by Hyderabad at 20% and Pune at 16%. Delhi-NCR grew 8%, while Bengaluru and Mumbai each registered 5% growth.
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The report showed a mixed sectoral picture. While insurance, healthcare, hospitality and BPO/ITeS expanded hiring, several large industries saw declines. Banking hiring fell 15% year-on-year, followed by telecom (-12%), pharma (-8%), IT (-7%), auto (-7%), education (-6%) and oil & gas (-6%). FMCG, retail and real estate remained broadly flat, although FMCG hiring rose 14% in Hyderabad and 17% in Chennai.
AI and machine learning continued to be among the strongest growth areas in the labour market, with hiring increasing 22% year-on-year. Demand was particularly robust for senior professionals, with recruitment of candidates having 13-16 years of experience rising 32% and those with more than 16 years of experience increasing 28%.
Hiring for AI/ML positions offering salaries above ₹30 lakh per annum grew 27% during the month, underscoring the premium employers continue to place on specialised technology skills.
Among cities, Hyderabad led AI hiring growth with a 44% surge, followed by Delhi-NCR at 34% and Chennai at 31%.
“We are also seeing encouraging fresher hiring momentum in emerging cities like Jaipur and Coimbatore,” Oberoi said. Fresher hiring rose 7% year-on-year, driven largely by customer-facing roles.
Recruitment for relationship managers jumped 75%, followed by loan officers (62%), retail sales professionals (50%), customer engagement roles (43%) and customer success associates (35%). Hospitality and retail each recorded 30% growth in fresher hiring, while BPO/ITeS posted a 28% increase, highlighting sustained demand for entry-level talent in consumer-facing sectors.
The Insurance sector emerged as the strongest performer, recording 19% year-on-year growth in hiring, followed by BPO/ITeS (9%), healthcare (6%) and hospitality (5%), according to data released by recruitment platform Naukri on Tuesday.
Also read: India tech jobs decline: AI, US immigration impact recruitment
“While the job market remained stable in May, demand for high-value talent continued to stand out across industries, with AI/ML roles leading the charge,” said Hitesh Oberoi, managing director and chief executive officer of Info Edge (India), which owns Naukri.
Among major metropolitan markets, Hyderabad continued to outperform with 6% hiring growth, while emerging cities posted even stronger gains. Surat recorded a 9% increase and Coimbatore grew 8%, reflecting a gradual broadening of hiring activity beyond traditional employment hubs.
Global Capability Centres (GCCs) remained a key source of demand, with hiring rising 8% across top metros. Chennai led GCC recruitment growth at 25%, followed by Hyderabad at 20% and Pune at 16%. Delhi-NCR grew 8%, while Bengaluru and Mumbai each registered 5% growth.
Also read: At Big 4 firms, AI is starting to reshape the tax profession
The report showed a mixed sectoral picture. While insurance, healthcare, hospitality and BPO/ITeS expanded hiring, several large industries saw declines. Banking hiring fell 15% year-on-year, followed by telecom (-12%), pharma (-8%), IT (-7%), auto (-7%), education (-6%) and oil & gas (-6%). FMCG, retail and real estate remained broadly flat, although FMCG hiring rose 14% in Hyderabad and 17% in Chennai.
AI and machine learning continued to be among the strongest growth areas in the labour market, with hiring increasing 22% year-on-year. Demand was particularly robust for senior professionals, with recruitment of candidates having 13-16 years of experience rising 32% and those with more than 16 years of experience increasing 28%.
Hiring for AI/ML positions offering salaries above ₹30 lakh per annum grew 27% during the month, underscoring the premium employers continue to place on specialised technology skills.
Among cities, Hyderabad led AI hiring growth with a 44% surge, followed by Delhi-NCR at 34% and Chennai at 31%.
“We are also seeing encouraging fresher hiring momentum in emerging cities like Jaipur and Coimbatore,” Oberoi said. Fresher hiring rose 7% year-on-year, driven largely by customer-facing roles.
Recruitment for relationship managers jumped 75%, followed by loan officers (62%), retail sales professionals (50%), customer engagement roles (43%) and customer success associates (35%). Hospitality and retail each recorded 30% growth in fresher hiring, while BPO/ITeS posted a 28% increase, highlighting sustained demand for entry-level talent in consumer-facing sectors.
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