India’s white-collar job market grew 17% year-on-year and 4% month-on-month in September 2025, according to the foundit Insights Tracker.
Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities led hiring growth with a 21% increase, surpassing the 14% growth seen in metro markets.
India’s White-Collar Job Market Surges 17% Year-on-Year in September 2025
The rise in hiring was driven not only by seasonal demand but also by core sectors such as logistics and transportation, healthcare and pharma, and IT, fueled by digitalisation, supply chain expansion, and AI/analytics needs.
Consumer-facing roles saw stronger gains: e-commerce roles rose 21%, hospitality 24%, and gig/economy roles surged 28%.
Entry-level positions (0–3 years’ experience) accounted for 45% of new hires, up from 42% last year.
In metro cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata, hiring grew about 14% YoY, led by IT, BFSI, and media and entertainment, with strong demand in tech, finance, and marketing roles.
Anupama Bhimrajka, vice president of marketing at foundit, said, “Metro markets continue to deliver growth, but non-metro regions are driving the momentum. This shows a decentralised, resilient employment landscape across India.”
By function, Sales and Marketing saw the strongest YoY growth at ~5%, Customer Support and Operations grew ~4%, and Creative and Media roles rose ~4% due to marketing campaigns and OTT content growth.
Technology and Product roles remained stable with ~3% growth, while Finance and Accounting roles grew ~2%, reflecting increased festive demand for credit and loans.
Persistent Skill Gaps Push Organisations Toward Strategic, Future-Focused Hiring
Skill gaps and role mismatches remain persistent challenges, prompting organisations to focus on strategic hiring that aligns talent with long-term technology adoption, digital transformation, and innovation goals.
India’s overall hiring index reached 380 in September 2025, up from 324 a year ago, indicating broadening demand across sectors.
The 17% YoY growth reflects strong hiring backed by rising consumer sentiment and expansion in both offline retail and digital formats.
Previously, there were reports that stated that employment in India increased to 64.33 crore in 2023–24, up from 47.5 crore in 2017–18, adding 16.83 crore jobs over six years, according to the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The unemployment rate dropped from 6.0% in 2017–18 to 3.2% in 2023–24.
