Bengaluru, 18 December 2025: India’s job market closed 2025 on a strong note, recording a
+23% year-on-year increase in hiring activity, according to the foundit
insights tracker (fit) by leading jobs and talent platform, foundit. This surge
reflects robust employer confidence, steady recruitment across major
industries, and the rising prominence of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities as strategic
talent hubs. However, growth in the second half of the year moderated to +4%
over six months, indicating a shift toward more calibrated, productivity-led
hiring.
“2025 shaped up as a year of strong expansion but
disciplined hiring. We witnessed the decentralisation of talent, with Tier-2
hubs becoming operational anchors for tech, BFSI, logistics and retail,” said Anupama Bhimrajka, VP, Marketing, foundit. “As
we head into 2026, demand for AI-ready skills, strategic leadership, and
mid-career digital talent will keep momentum high despite measured intake in
some sectors.”
HIRING TRENDS FOR 2025
NPOs, Consumer Electronics, and Healthcare &
Pharmaceuticals Emerge as the Fastest-Growing Industries (YoY)
With 24 out of 27 industries reporting a surge in
recruitment activity over the past year, the data points to a broad-based
revival in hiring sentiment.
•
Non-Profit Organisations
(NPOs) emerged as the fastest-growing sector, with
hiring up 55% YoY, reflecting rising demand for impact-led roles
•
Consumer Electronics (+53%) and Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals (+45%) saw
strong momentum, driven by manufacturing expansion and healthcare demand
•
Core sectors such as Manufacturing
(+39%), Logistics & Transportation (+37%), and Construction
& Engineering (+34%) recorded steady growth, signalling infrastructure
and supply-chain strength
•
Services-led sectors
including Media & Entertainment (+36%), Retail
(+34%), and BFSI (+27%) continued to expand alongside consumer
demand and digital adoption
Beyond the headline growth sectors, this momentum
underscores how India’s job market is being powered by a mix of impact-led
roles, manufacturing expansion and digital-first business models reflecting a
labour market that is not just recovering but evolving at speed.
Senior Management and IT Lead India’s Functional
Hiring Growth
With 11 of 13 functions reporting sustained annual
growth, 2025 marks a clear revival in demand for specialised and leadership
talent. Senior Management and IT roles are seeing the strongest momentum,
driven by digital transformation, strategic expansion and the rise of
AI-enabled business models.
•
Senior Management roles saw the strongest growth at +39% YoY,
highlighting demand for strategic and transformation leadership
•
IT hiring rose 30% YoY, supported by digital modernisation
and AI-led initiatives
•
Corporate support functions
recorded healthy growth, led by HR & Admin (+33%) and Finance
& Accounting (+25%)
•
Sales & Business
Development (+23%) remained resilient as companies
focused on revenue and market expansion
•
Creative and specialist roles,
including Marketing & Communications (+14%) and Legal
(+12%), saw steady but selective hiring
The surge in mid-to-senior level hiring across HR,
Finance and Sales indicates that companies are prioritising experienced
professionals who can steer execution, strengthen governance and accelerate
technology adoption in a rapidly evolving market.
Tier-2 Cities Lead India’s Next Wave of Job Market
Growth
India’s job market in 2025 shows strong geographic
momentum, with Tier-2 cities like Coimbatore and Ahmedabad emerging as
high-growth talent hubs.
•
Tier-2 cities emerged as high-growth talent hubs, led by Coimbatore
(+24%) and Ahmedabad (+19%), reflecting decentralised hiring
strategies
•
Bengaluru (+23%) and Hyderabad (+21%) continued to anchor
national hiring, driven by tech, manufacturing, and BFSI demand
•
Mumbai (+22%) and Pune (+19%) reinforced their strength in finance,
consumer-facing, and enterprise roles
Overall, 2025 saw hiring momentum spread beyond
traditional metros, signalling a more distributed and cost-optimised talent
model. The varied growth patterns across cities reflect a more distributed
hiring landscape, with companies widening their talent search beyond
traditional metros to support scale and regional market penetration.
Experience Levels: Mid-Senior Talent Gains Ground
•
Mid-to-senior professionals
(7–10 years) saw the strongest growth at +29%
YoY, underscoring demand for execution-ready talent
•
Early-career hiring (0–3
years) grew 19% YoY, reflecting
continued entry-level intake
•
Hiring for 4–6 years
experience roles rose 15% YoY, indicating steady mid-level demand
•
15+ years roles saw marginal contraction (-1%), pointing to more selective,
lean leadership structures
OUTLOOK FOR 2026
- India’s
hiring outlook for 2026 signals steady growth, with overall recruitment
expected to rise by 2.3 percentage points, translating to an estimated
1.28 crore jobs, and hiring concentrated in the first half of the year.
- Demand
will be strongest for mid-to-senior talent in digital, AI, cloud, data and
cybersecurity, driven by continued enterprise transformation.
- Tech,
BFSI, manufacturing, infrastructure and renewable energy are set to lead
hiring, with emerging sectors like fintech, health tech and electric
mobility creating niche opportunities.
- Hiring
is expected to expand beyond metros as companies develop talent hubs in
Tier 2 cities to optimise costs and access wider talent pools.
- Overall,
2026 is shaping up to be a skills-led year of hiring, as growth expands
beyond metros and strengthens India’s position as a resilient and
future-ready talent market.
Trends in Focus for 2026
- Tech and Semiconductor Push
Demand will remain strongest in AI, cloud, data
engineering, cybersecurity, and embedded systems, supported by continued GCC
expansion and early-stage semiconductor design activity in Bengaluru,
Hyderabad, and select Tier-2 hubs.
2. Leadership and Mid-Career Demand
Hiring is expected to continue favouring mid-to-senior
professionals who can lead digital programmes, manage transformation roadmaps,
and drive cost-efficient scaling as companies shift from pilot projects to
enterprise-wide execution.
3. Tier-2 Talent Diversification
Firms will increasingly be expanding support,
operations, and select tech functions into Tier-2 cities to optimise cost
structures and tap into growing engineering and digital talent pools outside
metros.
4. Startups Regain Momentum
Renewed funding across SaaS, fintech, health tech, and
AI-first ventures is set to drive selective hiring in product, engineering,
growth, and revenue roles, even as startups remain disciplined on non-core
functions.
Top Hiring Industries in 2026
India’s hiring outlook for 2026 is led by Consumer
Electronics and Media, with a 5-percentage-point (pp) increase, followed by
Healthcare, Life Sciences and Pharma at +4 pp. IT and Construction sectors are
close behind at +3 pp. The core sectors and services are expected to see steady
expansion, while trade-linked industries are likely to experience comparatively
slower growth.
Top Hiring Locations in 2026
In 2026, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are set to lead
hiring with 3 percentage points growth, driven by tech, GCCs, AI, cloud, and
semiconductor operations. Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Kochi, and Tier-2 cities such
as Coimbatore, Jaipur, and Baroda are expected to record a steady 2 percentage
points growth, while Delhi-NCR remains flat. Overall, the trend reflects India’s
shift toward a distributed, multi-city talent model.
About foundit:
foundit, formerly Monster (APAC & ME) is a leading
talent platform offering comprehensive employment solutions to recruiters and
job seekers across APAC & ME. In addition to a powerful AI-powered job
search, foundit offers e-learning, assessments, and services related to resume
creation, interview preparation, and professional networking. Since its
inception, the company has assisted over 120 million job seekers across 18
countries in upskilling and connecting them with the right job
opportunities.
Over the last two decades, the company has been a
leader in the world of recruitment solutions and has recently launched a
cutting-edge solution to give recruiters access to passive candidates in
addition to active ones. With the use of advanced technology, foundit is
seeking to efficiently bridge the talent gap across industry verticals,
experience levels, and geographies. Today, foundit is committed to enabling and
connecting the right talent with the right opportunities by harnessing the
power of deep tech to sharpen hyper-personalised job searches and offer
precision hiring. Additionally, foundit has been recognised as a Great Place To
Work, reflecting its dedication to fostering a supportive and dynamic work
culture.
To learn more about foundit in APAC & Gulf,
visit: www.foundit.in | www.founditgulf.com | www.foundit.sg | www.foundit.my | www.foundit.com.ph | www.foundit.com.hk| www.foundit.id