AI & Emerging Tech
AI & emerging tech roles fuel hiring boom in India: Report
AI and Emerging Tech roles powered India’s job market in September with 85% growth, Naukri report
India’s white-collar job market ended Q2 FY’26 on a strong note, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index climbing to 3002 points in September 2025, marking a +10% YoY increase from 2727 points a year ago. This lifted the quarter’s overall growth to +7%, signalling robust momentum across sectors and experience levels.
While key non-IT sectors like Insurance (+28%), Real Estate (+26%), BPO/ITES (+24%), Education (+22%), and Hospitality (+19%) powered growth, the real spotlight was on Emerging Technologies and AI/ML roles.
• Emerging Tech roles surged +85% YoY, while AI/ML positions grew +61% YoY.
• Hiring spanned all experience levels: 0–3 years (+55% YoY) and 13–16 years (+86% YoY), highlighting strong demand for both freshers and seasoned professionals.
• Metros like Pune (+91%) and Chennai (+71%) emerged as hotspots for tech hiring.
Fresher and experienced hiring remains strong
• Fresher hiring rose +15% YoY, while demand for professionals with 16+ years of experience increased +13% YoY.
• Among metros, Hyderabad (+15%) and Pune (+13%) led overall hiring growth.
Creative and design-led sectors see double-digit gains
Design (+59%), Advertising & Marketing (+22%), and Media & Entertainment (+20%) continued their strong performance in September. Entry-level roles saw particularly high growth:
• Advertising & Marketing freshers +54% YoY
• Media & Entertainment freshers +45% YoY
Unicorn hiring drives metro growth
Hiring by unicorns posted a +30% YoY increase, with exceptional growth in:
• Chennai (+72%)
• Pune (+35%)
Key sectors contributing to unicorn hiring included IT & Software (+38%) and Banking & Financial Services (+32%).
High-paying roles see broad-based demand
Positions in the ₹20L+ band grew +23% YoY across experience levels:
• Freshers: +41% YoY
• Mid-level professionals: +27% YoY
• Senior talent (16+ years): +19% YoY
Non-metro hiring boosted by BPO/ITES
The BPO/ITES sector continued to drive recruitment in emerging cities:
• Ahmedabad: +82% YoY
• Jaipur: +50% YoY
• Baroda: +19% YoY
Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri, said: “The 10% growth in September rounds out a solid Q2 FY’26, with a 7% overall increase in white-collar hiring during the quarter. It’s particularly notable how sectors like Insurance and Hospitality have sustained momentum, while fresher hiring and AI-led roles continue to drive growth.”
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