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Key Points

The Indian job market has shown robust growth in fiscal year 2026, with a 9% increase in white-collar hiring across various sectors. Pharma, real estate, and global capability centers emerged as key drivers of employment expansion. Specialized tech roles and fresh graduate opportunities saw significant traction, particularly in non-traditional sectors. The report by Naukri.com highlights a positive shift in recruitment trends, indicating growing optimism in the Indian job market.

Key Points: India Hiring Surge Pharma Realty GCC Sectors Boost Jobs

  • Pharma sector leads with 14% hiring growth
  • Tech roles see specialized talent demand
  • Unicorns outpace foreign MNCs in recruitment
  • Fresh graduate opportunities expand across sectors
2 min read

FY26 sees 9 pc uptick in hiring; pharma, realty and GCC sectors shine: Report

Indian job market sees 9% growth in FY26, with pharma, real estate, and global capability centers leading recruitment trends

"Strong demand for premium talent and growth in fresher hiring across core non-IT sectors - Dr. Pawan Goyal, Naukri.com"

New Delhi, May 1

White-collar hiring in India witnessed a healthy start to FY 2025-26, registering a 9 per cent year-on-year growth, according to a report on Thursday.

The report by job portal Naukri showed the growth was driven by several sectors, with pharma (+14 per cent), real estate (+11 per cent), GCCs (+10 per cent) and oil and gas (+9 per cent) emerging as primary contributors to the hiring momentum.

The IT/Software Services sector witnessed +3 per cent hiring growth in April. Demand was particularly robust for specialised roles, with the hiring of full stack data scientists (+30 per cent), Big Data testing engineers (+26 per cent), and data platform specialists (+28 per cent) seeing strong traction.

Hiring activity among unicorns (+15 per cent) outpaced that of foreign MNCs, underscoring sustained demand across emerging, digital-first enterprises.

The growth in pharma/biotech was led by strong demand for Life Sciences (+20 per cent) and research and development (+16 per cent) professionals. Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune emerged as key talent hubs, the report said.

The Oil and Gas sector growth reversed the decline observed in March and was supported by heightened hiring across procurement and supply chain (+25 per cent) and sales and business development (+12 per cent) roles.

"After a few soft months that saw mid-single digit growth, it is encouraging to see double-digit growths in several core sectors this year,” said Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com.

Further, the report showed that hiring for fresh graduates rose +6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in April, with opportunities emerging in sectors such as FMCG (+16 per cent), media and entertainment (+15 per cent), oil and gas (+23 per cent), and beauty and wellness (+26 per cent).

The data highlights a gradual diversification of entry-level hiring avenues beyond the traditional IT and BFSI sectors. Notably, fresher hiring in the 13-20 LPA salary bracket witnessed an exceptional +22 per cent YoY increase, the highest across all experience cohorts, the report said.

“Strong demand for premium talent and growth in fresher hiring across core non-IT sectors, are two noteworthy trends,” Goyal said.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
Great to see pharma and real estate leading the hiring surge! 🇮🇳 This shows India's economic resilience. But I hope companies also focus on quality jobs, not just quantity. The 22% jump in fresher hiring at 13-20 LPA is particularly encouraging for young graduates.
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Priya M.
As someone working in GCC sector, I can confirm the growth is real! 💼 But report misses one point - many companies are still hesitant to give good salary hikes despite increased hiring. Hope this changes soon with more competition for talent.
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Amit S.
IT sector growth at just 3% is concerning. Shows global slowdown impact. But good that specialized roles like data scientists are still in demand. Youth should focus on upskilling in these areas rather than just basic coding.
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Sunita R.
Beauty and wellness sector growing at 26% for freshers? That's surprising but welcome! Shows India's service sector is diversifying beyond traditional fields. Maybe time to rethink what we consider "prestigious" jobs.
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Vikram J.
While the numbers look positive, I wonder how much is permanent hiring vs contract roles? Many companies these days prefer temporary staffing to avoid benefits and job security. Report should clarify this aspect.
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Neha P.
Happy to see Pune in the talent hubs list! 🎉 We need more development beyond Bengaluru. Hope other tier-2 cities also get recognition soon. Balanced regional growth is crucial for India's long-term employment scenario.

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