- India's white-collar hiring grew 6% YoY in June with sectoral disparities evident
- Insurance sector led with 16% growth, driven by strong demand in Chennai and Hyderabad
- Banking and financial services saw the steepest decline with a 12% drop in hiring
India's white-collar hiring activity grew 6% year-on-year in June, with a sharp divergence emerging across sectors. Insurance hiring surged 16% YoY, while banking and financial services hiring fell 12%, the steepest decline among all sectors tracked, according to the Naukri JobSpeak report.
The insurance sector's growth was driven by strong regional demand, with Chennai posting a 29% YoY surge and Hyderabad recording a 15% rise in hiring activity. Telecom hiring also grew 6% YoY, with fresher recruitment in the sector jumping 25%.
Sector-wise breakdown
Among the 15 sectors tracked by Naukri, eight recorded growth and seven saw declines in June. Insurance (+16%) led the pack, followed by FMCG (+7%), Telecom (+6%) and Real Estate (+5%). BPO/ITES hiring rose 4%, led by a 54% surge in hiring by foreign multinational corporations, while Pharma and Biotech hiring also grew 4%. Healthcare posted a more modest 2% rise, and Oil and Gas hiring was flat.
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On the other end, Auto sector hiring dipped 1%, GCC hiring fell 1% nationally, Retail declined 2%, and IT/Software Services hiring slipped 3%. Hospitality hiring fell 3%, Education dropped 4%, and Banking and Financial Services recorded the sharpest decline at 12%.
Chennai and Hyderabad bucked the national GCC trend, posting 19% and 15% surges respectively in GCC-linked hiring.
How is the job market shaping up? It's good news for some sectors and worrying signs for others.
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AI hiring bucks the IT slowdown
Even as overall IT/software services hiring declined 3% YoY, demand for AI and machine learning talent grew 25% over the same period, pointing to a shift in where technology companies are concentrating their hiring budgets.
"Even as IT hiring has moderated, AI hiring within the sector grew 16% YoY in June. That divergence is important because it shows where tech companies are still investing. AI is increasingly becoming a core capability area, especially as demand shifts towards more senior and specialised talent," said Hitesh Oberoi, MD and CEO, Info Edge.
Experience levels and geography
Hiring for professionals with 13-15 years of experience grew fastest at 12% YoY, followed by seasoned professionals with over 16 years of experience at 9%, driven largely by BPO/ITES and Oil and Gas sectors. Fresher hiring (0-3 years) rose 8%, led by non-IT sectors such as Insurance and FMCG.
On geography, Bhubaneswar recorded the sharpest city-level growth at 21% YoY, followed by Chennai's GCC-led surge. Jaipur and Coimbatore emerged as fresher hiring hotspots, growing 17% and 16% respectively, while Ranchi (down 10%) and Chandigarh (down 8%) posted the steepest declines.
The overall JobSpeak index stood at 3,027 in June 2026, up from 2,854 in June 2025, a 6% YoY increase.
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