Hiring increased by 3% in the January-March quarter from the previous quarter, according to Indeed's 'Hiring Tracker' report released on Tuesday.
According to the report, 82% of employers engaged in 3% more hiring than the preceding October-December quarter. People that freshly graduated from colleges and universities and were new to the job market made up 53% of the hires for the quarter ended March.
Software developers lead the demand with 29% of them being hired to fill in for this role, followed closely by data analysts and scientists which made up 26%. Sales executives trailed close behind with 23% of freshers hired for that position.
The surge and prevalence of AI in every facet of enterprises also affected the job market with employers also looking to hire freshers for positions in the fields of AI and machine learning, cyber security, data analytics and software development.
Employers, however, expressed concerns regarding skill gaps and professionalism in the workplace. Up to 38% expressed that there was a skill-gap issue and close to 27% reported that areas such as communication, collaboration and time management are areas that needed work from freshers.
"While fresh graduates bring enthusiasm and adaptability, many lack the hands-on, practical experience that's essential in today's fast-evolving workplace," the report said.
Employers also reported issues with meeting the salary expectations of freshers, with 25% of them saying they were struggling to reconcile candidate expectations with what they were able to offer.
Freshers polled by the report stated that a highly competitive job environment and a compensation much lower than what they expect for their efforts. This was evidenced by 39% of freshers sharing that it was hard to get noticed in a job market teeming with so many competitors.
Upto 72% of employers did report having seen an increase in salaries of freshers year-on-year. This, however, may not be enough to meet freshers' expectations due to 60% saying that the hike was only capped at 5%,
This was evidenced by the fact that 62% of freshers responded that they would only apply for roles where compensation, responsibilities and work culture were clearly outlined.
When it came to the outlook for fiscal 26, 34% of employers reported that they plan to hire freshers for the April-June 2025 quarter. "Demand remains strong for fresh graduates and tech talent, especially in areas like AI, data and cybersecurity," the report said.
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