Hyderabad and Kolkata Lead White-Collar Hiring Growth in August; Know Where Mumbai Stands
India's white-collar hiring grew 14 per cent year-on-year in August, driven by the auto (19 per cent), healthcare (16 per cent), and retail sectors. The Naukri JobSpeak index reached 3,028, with positive growth across all experience levels and major metros. Among metropolitan cities, Hyderabad led growth at 23 per cent, followed by Kolkata at 22 per cent and Chennai at 20 per cent.
India's white-collar hiring registered a 14 per cent year-on-year growth in August, driven by strong demand across sectors such as automobiles, healthcare, and retail, according to the Naukri JobSpeak report released on Tuesday, September 8. The overall Naukri JobSpeak Index reached 3,028, compared to 2,664 during the same period last year. The monthly index tracks trends in the Indian job market based on new job postings and recruiter searches on Naukri.com.
Sector Performance and Growth Drivers
August recorded hiring growth across both IT and non-IT industries, as well as multiple experience brackets. The automobile sector led the expansion with a 19 per cent increase in hiring, followed by healthcare at 16 per cent and retail at 15 per cent, reports Naukri. Samsung Layoffs: Company Begins Job Cuts in India As Nearly 100 Executives Asked To Leave Amid Rising Costs.
Other major sectors also reported positive gains, including insurance at 12 per cent, IT at 11 per cent, banking and FMCG at 10 per cent each, and BPO/ITES, oil and gas, and real estate at 8 per cent each. Meanwhile, pharma and biotech remained flat, while hospitality and travel saw a 4 per cent decline, and education recorded an 8 per cent drop.
Experience Levels and Regional Trends
Recruitment remained positive across all experience tiers. Fresher hiring grew by 15 per cent year-on-year, while positions for professionals with 4 to 7 years of experience rose by 10 per cent. Mid-to-senior experience bands also posted notable increases, with hiring up 16 per cent for 8 to 12 years, 18 per cent for 13 to 16 years, and 13 per cent for individuals with over 16 years of experience.
Among metropolitan cities, Hyderabad led growth at 23 per cent, followed by Kolkata at 22 per cent, Chennai at 20 per cent, Bengaluru and Pune at 14 per cent each, Delhi NCR at 10 per cent, and Mumbai at 7 per cent. Emerging cities also showed robust numbers, led by Bhubaneswar at 32 per cent, Raipur at 23 per cent, Surat at 21 per cent, and Ranchi at 19 per cent. Google Layoffs: Tech Giant Has Begun Job Cuts in Taiwan, Report Says.
Festive Calendar Impact
Industry experts noted that the hiring metrics should be interpreted in the context of the shifting festive calendar, as a larger portion of the festive period fell in August last year compared to September this year. "We will have a clearer view of the underlying hiring trend as we move through the festive quarter," said Hitesh Oberoi, MD and CEO of Info Edge (India) Ltd.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2026 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
