Finding the right job is crucial for everyone, but keeping up with hiring trends can be equally important.

To assist job seekers in making informed career decisions, Naukri has released the March 2025 edition of the JobSpeak report.

This monthly index measures hiring activity across industries, cities, and experience levels, offering a clear snapshot of employment trends in India.

The Naukri JobSpeak Index, a key indicator of white-collar hiring activity, remained stable in March 2025 at 2,618 points—marginally below the March 2024 level of 2,657. Despite two extended holiday weekends during Holi and Eid, hiring momentum held firm, showcasing the market’s resilience.

Notable growth was seen in the AI-ML sector, which surged +25% year-on-year, standing out amid a largely steady trend across major industries. However, a few sectors faced challenges, including Education (-14%), Retail (-13%), and Oil & Gas (-10%).

Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri, commented:

“We were expecting some transient dips owing to the extended holiday weekends in March and the JobSpeak index is playing back the same, especially in a few sectors. However, the overall Index and most major sectors staying stable vs. last year is a promising takeaway for us. Robust growth in pockets like AI-ML, emerging technologies and senior professionals’ cohort added a silver lining to the March trends.”

While overall hiring levels held steady, certain industries showed impressive growth:

  • AI-ML: +25%
  • Emerging Tech (Crypto, Blockchain): +36%
  • IT Startups: +11%
  • Banking & Financial Services Unicorns: +36%

On the flip side, some traditional sectors saw year-on-year declines:

  • Education: -14%
  • Retail: -13%
  • Oil & Gas: -10%
  • IT: -3% (an improvement from -16% in March 2024)

Interestingly, sub-sectors within Retail showed resilience. Consumer Durables recorded a 9% increase, with Chennai (+42%) and Bengaluru (+18%) leading the charge.

India’s unicorn ecosystem lit up the hiring landscape this March, especially in major metros:

  • Chennai: +29%
  • Delhi NCR: +23%
  • Hyderabad: +17%

In addition, Mumbai saw a +9% growth in the Media sector, while Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Hyderabad became hotspots for experienced talent.

Specialized Roles in High Demand

Tech talent continued to dominate demand charts:

  • Machine Learning Engineers: +88%
  • Search Engineers: +39%
  • Investment Banking Analysts: +35%

This growth underscores the rising importance of domain expertise in a competitive job market.

March 2025 reiterated the growing demand for experienced professionals:

  • 16+ years of experience: In demand across Auto, Banking, FMCG, and Internet/E-commerce sectors
  • Hiring growth for senior professionals ranged from 10% to 29%
  • Cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad led the demand

Meanwhile, freshers found new opportunities in niche sectors:

  • Media & Entertainment: +22% fresher hiring
  • Design: +30% overall growth, with Architecture & Interior Design contributing a +27% surge in entry-level jobs

Methodology

The Naukri JobSpeak Index is a monthly benchmark representing hiring activity across industries, cities, and experience levels.

It is based on new job listings and recruiter searches on Naukri’s database, with July 2008 as the base month (Index value = 1,000).

The Index aggregates hiring trends from over 100,000 clients, serving as a key indicator of India’s white-collar job market.

Naukri JobSpeak