India’s white-collar hiring up 3% YoY in January; BPO, ITES leads with 21% growth: Naukri

India’s white-collar job market began 2026 on a steady note, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index rising to 2,637 points in January-a 3% year-on-year increase from 2,550 points in January 2025. The growth was largely driven by non-IT sectors and robust fresher hiring, reflecting an encouraging start to the year for employers and job seekers alike.

Among non-IT industries, BPO/ITES led the gains with a 21% rise, followed by Hospitality and Travel (+15%), Insurance (+7%), and Healthcare (+5%). Banking and Financial Services was the only major non-IT sector to see a decline, slipping 15% YoY. The IT sector overall remained flat, though AI/ML roles continued to see strong demand, rising 34% year-on-year.

Fresher hiring (0–3 years of experience) expanded by 8% overall, signalling growing opportunities at the entry level. Non-IT sectors in particular showed significant fresher growth: BPO/ITES (+39%), Hospitality (+33%), Insurance (+35%), and Real Estate (+42%).

The BPO/ITES sector has consistently been among the top performers in the last three months, with broad-based demand across experience levels. Professionals with 13–16 years of experience saw a 9% increase, while fresher recruitment jumped 39%. Non-metro cities played a key role, with Jaipur (+66%) and Ahmedabad (+43%) contributing substantially. Foreign multinational corporations were a major factor behind the surge, driving more than 80% of the sector’s hiring growth.

Healthcare maintained steady momentum, growing 5% YoY. Fresher hiring led the gains (+11%), but growth was also recorded across mid- and senior-level positions: 8–12 years (+4%), 13–16 years (+7%), and 16+ years (+4%). Key cities driving the uptick included Pune (+23%), Chennai (+18%), Bengaluru (+17%), and Ahmedabad (+16%). Indian MNCs accounted for a robust 30% YoY increase in healthcare recruitment.

While overall IT hiring declined slightly (-2% YoY), Indian IT MNCs bucked the broader slowdown with a 32% increase in hiring. High-value roles paying over ₹20 lakh per annum also showed resilience, growing 10%.

Dr Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer at Naukri, said, “It’s encouraging to see sustained year-on-year growth in key sectors like BPO/ITES and Hospitality. These areas have shown consistent momentum over recent months and have kicked off 2026 on a strong, positive note. Equally promising is the robust performance from Indian IT MNCs, which bodes well for the overall job market".