Key Points

The report by the job platform foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), showed that over the past two years, diversity hiring in India has evolved from a compliance-driven mandate to a strategic workforce priority, growing by 53 per cent.

The broader Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) category -- which now includes LGBTQIA+ individuals, women, PwDs, and other underrepresented groups -- stands at 27 per cent.

The share of women in diversity hiring grew from 53 per cent to 68 per cent this year, reflecting a strong focus on gender inclusion. Meanwhile, hiring for persons with disabilities (PwD) rose from 2 per cent to 5 per cent, highlighting an expanding commitment to inclusive talent acquisition.

Further, the report showed that the surge is led by the consumer electronics sector, which saw a remarkable 70 per cent YoY spike, while the logistics and transportation sector fuelled MoM growth with a 5 per cent uptick.

Senior management roles emerged as a key focus area, registering the highest YoY growth at 36 per cent, signalling robust leadership hiring.

Among cities, Mumbai stood out with the strongest YoY growth at 23 per cent. These trends reflect growing sectoral resilience, innovation, and a strategic push towards long-term, sustainable workforce development.

“The consistent rise in white-collar hiring reflects India’s shifting economic landscape and the growing demand for skilled talent,” said Anupama Bhimrajka, VP of Marketing at foundit.

“From leadership to entry-level roles, industries are showing resilience and agility, with metros leading the way and tier-2 cities quickly gaining ground. Encouragingly, diversity hiring has evolved into a strategic priority, with organisations embedding inclusion into core HR practices to drive meaningful representation for women, persons with disabilities (PwD), and other underrepresented groups,” Bhimrajka added.

The report noted that the IT software and services sector grew its share of diversity hiring from 19 per cent to 23 per cent, while BFSI dipped from 30 per cent to 21 per cent over the last year.

Metro cities continue to lead women-centric hiring, driven by proactive initiatives in BFSI and IT leadership pipelines.

Mumbai and Pune are at the forefront, offering structured return-to-work programmes and implementing diversity quotas in mid-to-senior management roles.

Interestingly, tier-2 cities such as Coimbatore, Jaipur, and Chandigarh are rapidly catching up through targeted skilling programmes and the development of women-led entrepreneurship zones, the report said.

- IANS