New Delhi, Oct 1 (NationPress) The Indian job market has achieved a remarkable 10 percent growth in September, showcasing a year-on-year (YoY) increase in hiring for both fresh graduates and seasoned professionals, as reported on Wednesday.

A report from job portal Naukri indicated that hiring for freshers surged by over 15 percent YoY, while the demand for individuals with more than 16 years of experience rose by over 13 percent YoY.

Among major metropolitan areas, Hyderabad led the charge with an impressive growth of more than 15 percent YoY, followed closely by Pune with a growth exceeding 13 percent.

Key non-IT sectors such as insurance (+28 percent), real estate (+26 percent), BPO/ITES (+24 percent), education (+22 percent), and hospitality (+19 percent) were the standout performers in September, while the IT sector maintained stability with a modest 1 percent growth.

The report further highlighted that the nation's white-collar job market experienced an overall increase of over 10 percent YoY in the second quarter of FY'26, boosting the quarter's total growth to over 7 percent.

“The 10 percent growth in September caps off a robust Q2 FY'26, marked by a 7 percent overall increase in white-collar hiring during the quarter. It is particularly remarkable how sectors like insurance and hospitality have maintained their momentum over the past three quarters, while fresh graduate hiring continues its positive trajectory,” stated Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer of Naukri.

The report illustrated that the demand for lucrative positions spans various experience levels. In September, hiring for roles in the 20+ LPA bracket surged by 23 percent YoY overall. Freshers experienced the most significant increase at 41 percent, mid-level professionals saw a growth of 27 percent, and even senior talent (16+ years of experience) experienced a healthy increase of 19 percent.

Moreover, emerging technologies saw a staggering 85 percent growth, while AI-ML roles registered a remarkable 61 percent increase. The demand for AI/ML positions spanned various experience bands, with a 55 percent YoY growth in the 0-3 years cohort and 86 percent YoY in the 13-16 years segment. Major cities like Pune at 91 percent YoY and Chennai at 71 percent YoY were pivotal in this growth.

The BPO/ITES sector also experienced exceptional double-digit hiring growth in emerging cities, a trend that has persisted over the past quarter. Ahmedabad led this growth with an 82 percent uptick, followed by Jaipur (+50 percent) and Baroda (+19 percent).