New Delhi, March 5 (NationPress) Applications submitted by women for leadership and governance positions in India have seen a remarkable increase over the past year, with a 43 percent year-on-year (YoY) rise in applications for strategic and top management roles, according to a report released on Thursday.

Furthermore, applications for risk management and compliance roles surged by 51 percent, based on an analysis from Apna.co.

The findings indicate that female job seekers are increasingly targeting higher-level positions, moving away from a focus on entry-level roles.

Additionally, there is a notable shift toward seeking stable employment, as applications for full-time roles increased by 33 percent YoY, compared to a 21 percent rise in part-time positions, as reported by the professional networking platform.

Meanwhile, applications from fresh graduates grew by 18 percent, surpassing the 11 percent increase from seasoned professionals.

Moreover, job postings specifically for women in strategic and top management roles increased by 52 percent, while those focused on women in risk management and compliance saw a growth of 57 percent. Applications for project and program management roles also doubled.

National labor statistics reflect a similar trend, with female labor force participation rising to 33.7 percent in the July-September 2025 period, up from 33.4 percent in the previous quarter, according to the latest quarterly report from the National Statistical Office's Periodic Labour Force Survey. The female worker population ratio improved to 32 percent, and the overall unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent.

Furthermore, applications in data science and analytics soared by 86 percent YoY, with research and development applications increasing by 88 percent, and quality assurance applications growing by 90 percent. Product management applications also saw a significant increase of 62 percent.

Kartik Narayan, CEO of Jobs Marketplace at Apna, noted that the rise in applications for senior management, compliance, and skill-intensive roles signifies a transition from mere access to genuine advancement opportunities for women in India's labor market.

Regionally, Tier-2 cities experienced a 27 percent increase in women's job applications, compared to a 10 percent rise in Tier-1 markets.

According to the Apna.co analysis, Noida recorded the highest YoY growth in job applications at around 14 percent among Tier-1 cities, while Indore experienced a 16 percent YoY increase in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

On the other hand, Surat reported approximately 3 percent growth YoY in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, and Mumbai saw about 7 percent growth in Tier-1 cities.