White-collar hiring activity in India surged by 38% year-on-year in March 2025, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker (fit).
The tracker noted that the 38% increase signalled strong employer confidence and sustained job market momentum.
On a month-on-month basis, hiring activity stood flat, keeping the hiring index at 380. Over the past three months, recruitment demand has grown by 10%.
Recruitment activity recorded an increase in 23 out of 27 industries annually. Manufacturing emerged as a key growth driver in March with 78% growth. Consumer electronics saw a 70% gain while construction and engineering recorded a 63% increase.
On the other hand, travel and tourism reported a 10% decline.
On a month-on-month basis, the manufacturing sector solidified its position as a key driver of employment, recording a 12% increase in hiring activity in March 2025.
By job function and on an annual basis, all 13 functions reported in the tracker saw annual growth with HR & Admin roles leading the way (45%) followed by finance and accounting (39%). Engineering and production saw the smallest growth at 10%.
Over the month, procurement & supply chain roles saw a notable 9% surge in hiring over the last month, the highest among functions.
On a city-wide basis, Coimbatore recorded the biggest year-on-year gain with a 44% increase. This was followed by Pune (38%), Bengaluru (37%), Vadodara (37%) and Hyderabad (35%).
By experience level, the hiring demand for entry-level saw a 29% increase annually while hiring for associate roles with an experience of 4-6 years saw a 22% rise in hiring on year-on-year basis.
Mid-senior level roles (7 – 10 years of experience) reported a 40% hiring demand year-on-year.
Senior-level roles with 11-15 years registered a 13% growth in hiring activity.
On the other hand, there was a 13% drop in hiring activity for roles demanding 16+ years of experience.
Research from foundit also showed that India’s gig job market recorded a 17% year-on-year growth as of March 2025.
The surge is largely driven by the rising adoption of flexible work models. Most of them (66%) work through company-led models, across corporates (28%), MNCs (multi-national corporations) (12%), startups (8%), and others (18%). The rest (34%) are placed through third parties including staffing firms and freelance platforms.
The foundit Insights Tracker is a comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity conducted by foundit.in. Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, fit presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity across India.
Source – https://www.staffingindustry.com/news/global-daily-news/white-collar-jobs-in-india-jump-38-in-march