White-collar hiring up 5% in July; AI/ML jobs surge 33% year-on-year
Synopsis
India's white-collar job market posted a solid 5% year-on-year gain in July, but the real story is AI/ML — up 33% for the second straight year, now the single strongest segment in the market. With Kolkata outpacing Bengaluru and GCCs quietly expanding, the hiring map is being redrawn even as banking and pharma drag.
Key Takeaways
India's white-collar hiring grew 5% year-on-year in July 2025 , per the Naukri JobSpeak index.
The JobSpeak index rose to 3,227 in July, up from 3,074 a year earlier.
AI/ML roles surged 33% year-on-year — the fastest-growing segment for over two years.
Insurance was the top-performing sector at +10% ; telecom , banking , and pharma saw hiring declines.
Kolkata led city-wise hiring growth at 17% , ahead of Hyderabad ( 16% ) and Chennai ( 11% ).
GCC hiring grew 5% year-on-year , led by Chennai and Hyderabad .
India's white-collar hiring grew 5 per cent year-on-year in July 2025, driven by sustained demand for artificial intelligence (AI) talent and a recovery in information technology (IT) recruitment, according to a report released on Monday, 3 August. The Naukri JobSpeak index climbed to 3,227 in July, up from 3,074 in the same month last year, signalling a positive opening to the second quarter of the current financial year.
AI/ML Leads the Charge
AI and machine learning (AI/ML) roles remained the fastest-growing segment, recording a 33 per cent year-on-year increase in hiring. Notably, this trend has sustained for over two years, cementing AI/ML as the strongest-performing category in the white-collar job market. Within the broader IT and software services sector — which itself rose 6 per cent year-on-year — hiring specifically for AI roles jumped 30 per cent, while demand for IT and information security professionals grew 23 per cent.
Sector-Wise Performance
Insurance emerged as the top-performing sector with a 10 per cent rise in hiring, followed by real estate at 8 per cent. Healthcare and FMCG also reported healthy demand. On the other end, hiring declined in telecom, banking and financial services, pharma, hospitality, and education — a reminder that the recovery remains uneven across the broader economy.
City-Wise Hiring Trends
Kolkata led all cities with the highest hiring growth at 17 per cent, followed by Hyderabad at 16 per cent, Chennai at 11 per cent, and Bengaluru at 8 per cent. Mumbai and Delhi remained flat. Growth in IT hiring was concentrated in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru, reinforcing the southern and eastern cities' emergence as key tech hiring hubs.
Freshers and GCC Hiring Hold Steady
Fresher hiring remained resilient, growing 6 per cent year-on-year in July. Recruitment also increased across most mid- and senior-level experience bands, reflecting broad-based momentum rather than a narrowly concentrated recovery. Global Capability Centre (GCC) hiring grew 5 per cent year-on-year, led by Chennai and Hyderabad, with demand for experienced AI professionals and high-paying AI roles remaining strong.
What Industry Leaders Said
Hitesh Oberoi, Managing Director and CEO of Info Edge (India) Ltd, said: 'The July hiring trends point to a market that is steadily gaining momentum. Growth in IT hiring, sustained demand for AI talent and continued expansion in fresher recruitment indicate that employers are investing in both future-ready skills and workforce expansion.'
With AI adoption deepening across sectors and GCC expansion continuing, the white-collar job market appears set to sustain its upward trajectory through the second quarter — though persistent weakness in banking, telecom, and pharma hiring warrants close monitoring.
Point of View
Pharma, and telecom are contracting. That divergence is not a blip — it reflects a fundamental reallocation of white-collar demand toward tech-adjacent skills. More striking is Kolkata's 17% surge, which suggests that tier-1 IT expansion is no longer a Bengaluru-Mumbai story. GCC growth at 5% is steady but unremarkable; the real question is whether India can move up the GCC value chain fast enough to absorb the volume of AI talent being trained, before the demand curve flattens.
NationPress
3 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did white-collar hiring grow in India in July 2025?
White-collar hiring in India grew 5 per cent year-on-year in July 2025, according to the Naukri JobSpeak index, which rose to 3,227 from 3,074 in July of the previous year. The growth signals a positive start to the second quarter of the current financial year.
Which job segment saw the highest growth in July 2025?
AI and machine learning (AI/ML) roles recorded the highest growth, surging 33 per cent year-on-year in July 2025. This trend has continued for over two years, making AI/ML the strongest-performing segment in India's white-collar job market.
Which cities led hiring growth in July 2025?
Kolkata recorded the highest hiring growth at 17 per cent, followed by Hyderabad at 16 per cent, Chennai at 11 per cent, and Bengaluru at 8 per cent. Mumbai and Delhi remained flat during the same period.
Which sectors saw a decline in hiring in July 2025?
Hiring declined in telecom, banking and financial services, pharma, hospitality, and education in July 2025, even as overall white-collar hiring posted a 5 per cent gain. The recovery remains uneven across sectors.
What is the Naukri JobSpeak index?
The Naukri JobSpeak index is a monthly measure of white-collar hiring activity in India, based on job listings on the Naukri platform. A reading of 3,227 in July 2025, up from 3,074 a year earlier, indicates year-on-year improvement in hiring demand.
