India’s hiring market embraces AI, logs 73 lakh AI interviews and 9 crore job applications in 2025

India’s employment market showed steady resilience in 2025, tracking the broader macro shift as the country surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The year 2025 was a progressive year in India’s job marketplace, with Apna.co’s India at Work 2025 report revealing over 9 crore job applications during the year, an estimated 29% year-on-year increase, driven by higher participation from women and early-career professionals as service-led hiring expanded beyond metros and digital recruitment tools became mainstream.

On the job seeker side, women’s participation rose sharply, reflected in an estimated 36% increase in applications to finance, administrative services, customer experience and healthcare support roles. The Periodic Labour Force Survey shows continued improvement in women’s labour force participation as more women transition into roles with structured career pathways. India’s youth also entered the job market with stronger intent, contributing to roughly 10% more applications across service and technology enabled industries. With nearly 1 crore young people joining the workforce every year, early-career talent played a defining role in shaping hiring momentum.

Employer hiring activity mirrored this expansion. Job postings on Apna rose to 14 lakh in 2025, up an estimated 15% year-on-year, supported by stronger digital adoption among small and medium businesses and continued enterprise expansion into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Demand remained broad-based across BFSI, retail, logistics, e-commerce, healthcare, mobility and IT services. SMBs contributed 10 lakh job postings, recording an 11% year-on-year increase, while enterprises accounted for 4 lakh postings, growing 14% YoY, reinforcing a more geographically distributed hiring footprint.

Women’s participation deepens across regions and seniority

Women submitted over 3.8 crore job applications in 2025, marking an estimated 36% increase from the previous year. Tier 1 cities accounted for roughly 2 crore applications, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities contributed around 1.8 crore, reflecting nearly 30% growth in emerging markets. Median salaries for women rose by an estimated 22%, aligned with higher entry into finance, administrative and customer experience roles. Applications for managerial and senior positions crossed 1.1 crore, up 35% year-on-year, indicating a gradual strengthening of leadership pipelines. BFSI, healthcare services, education, retail and e-commerce together accounted for over 40% of women’s applications.

Commenting on the findings, Kartik Narayan, CEO- Jobs Marketplace, Apna.co, said, “The 2025 data reflects a workforce that is becoming more distributed, more skilled and more aspirational. Women and early-career professionals are moving steadily into formal service roles, while enterprises and SMBs are expanding hiring beyond metros. AI has also become a practical layer in everyday hiring, improving preparation for candidates and efficiency for employers. Our focus is to keep building systems that make hiring faster, transparent and accessible at scale.”

Freshers drive entry-level volumes, preferences shift to service roles

Freshers submitted over 2.2 crore job applications during the year, an estimated 10% increase over 2024. Tier 1 cities accounted for around 0.9 crore applications, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities contributed nearly 1.3 crore, highlighting the deepening spread of entry-level opportunities across India’s emerging cities. Interest rose sharply in administrative services, customer experience, digital operations and finance and accounting, while applications to voice-heavy and field-intensive roles declined. The number of freshers with diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications increased to over 19 lakh, reflecting closer alignment between education and service-led demand.

Enterprise hiring expands into non-metro markets

Enterprise postings on Apna rose to 4 lakh roles, an estimated 14% increase year-on-year. While Tier 1 cities remained key contributors, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets recorded the fastest growth as enterprises decentralised service and support functions. BFSI, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare services and technology-enabled operations led demand. Major recruiters included Wipro Enterprises, HDFC ERGO, ITC, Tata 1mg, Policybazaar, Ola Electric, Quess Corp and Swiggy.

SMBs continue to anchor employment creation

Small and medium businesses recorded 10 lakh job postings in 2025, up an estimated 11% from the previous year. Hiring was strongest in education and training, healthcare services, retail, financial services and wellness. Cities such as Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore, Surat and Chandigarh saw notable increases as local enterprises formalised operations and scaled service delivery. Women and freshers formed a significant share of SMB applicant pools, particularly in customer experience, administrative coordination, digital operations and finance support.

AI adoption across Candidates and Employers

Over 73 lakh AI interview sessions took place on Apna’s platform in 2025, with over 1.9 crore AI interview minutes. Adoption of Apna’s AI Job Prep tool, launched in May 2025, was strongest among freshers, women re-entering the workforce, and candidates in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Among the most prepped roles were software development, product management, data analyst, accounting, digital marketing and sales, highlighting the tool’s relevance across diverse industries. Leading companies like Google, Tesla, Swiggy, Microsoft, Jio and Flipkart emerged as the most preferred choices among job seekers. On the employer side, Apna’s AI Calling Agent was adopted by over 6,000 companies during the year. Employers created around 11,200 AI-enabled job listings, resulting in approximately 12 lakh automated screenings and saving the equivalent of nearly 4 years of recruiter calling time. Companies such as PayTM, Flipkart, Titan Company Ltd, Muthoot Fincorp, SBI Life Insurance, IDFC First Bank Limited and HCL used the tool. Adoption was strongest in sales, customer support, software development, finance and operations roles, with higher uptake in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, marking a strong first year of broad-based AI integration in hiring.