Metro India News | MUMBAI

India’s white-collar job market started 2026 on a positive note, recording a 3 per cent year-on-year increase in January, driven largely by non-IT sectors and fresher recruitment, a report by Naukri said.

The Naukri JobSpeak Index stood at 2,637 points in January, up from 2,550 points in the same month last year. Non-IT sectors emerged as key contributors, with BPO/ITES hiring rising 21 per cent, hospitality and travel up 15 per cent, insurance increasing 7 per cent, and healthcare gaining 5 per cent. Banking and financial services, however, saw a decline of 15 per cent.

IT sector hiring remained largely flat, though roles in AI and machine learning grew 34 per cent, highlighting continued demand for technology specialists. Fresher hiring rose 8 per cent overall, with 0-3 year roles seeing sharp gains in hospitality (33 per cent), insurance (35 per cent), BPO/ITES (39 per cent), and real estate (42 per cent), indicating strong entry-level opportunities. Geographically, non-metro cities showed notable growth, with Coimbatore and Jaipur posting 16 per cent and 15 per cent year-on-year increases in fresher recruitment. Hyderabad also saw overall hiring grow 10 per cent, supported by a 14 per cent rise in global capability centre hiring.