The Naukri JobSpeak Index rose 6% year-on-year to 3,027 in June 2026, up from 2,854 in the corresponding month last year.
India’s white-collar job market continued its growth momentum in June, led by strong demand in Media & Entertainment, AI/ML and fresher hiring, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak report.
The Naukri JobSpeak Index rose 6% year-on-year to 3,027 in June 2026, up from 2,854 in the corresponding month last year. The performance helped close the first quarter of FY27 with an overall 4% growth in hiring activity.
Among sectors, Media Production & Entertainment emerged as the fastest-growing functional area, recording a 24% year-on-year increase in hiring, reflecting growing demand for content, production and creative talent. Healthcare & Life Sciences followed with 22% growth, while IT & Information Security registered an 18% rise. Production, Manufacturing & Engineering and Marketing & Communications recorded growth of 14% and 12%, respectively.
AI and Machine Learning remained one of the strongest-performing job segments, with hiring for AI/ML roles increasing 25% year-on-year in June. The category has consistently outperformed broader hiring trends over the past two years as companies continue to invest in specialised technology capabilities.
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Insurance remained another bright spot, posting 16% growth in hiring, followed by FMCG at 7%, Telecom at 6%, Real Estate at 5%, and BPO/ITES and Pharma/Biotech at 4% each.
The report also highlighted strong momentum in fresher recruitment. Entry-level hiring increased 8% year-on-year in June and was up 9% during the April-June quarter, indicating continued confidence among employers in building junior talent pipelines.
Hiring gains were visible across seniority levels as well. Recruitment for professionals with 4-7 years of experience grew 2%, while demand for candidates with 8-12 years of experience increased 7%. The strongest growth came from more experienced talent pools, with hiring rising 12% for professionals with 13-16 years of experience and 9% for those with more than 16 years of experience.
At the city level, hiring activity remained robust across several metro and emerging markets. Kolkata led major metros with a 12% increase in hiring, followed by Hyderabad at 11%, Chennai at 10% and Bengaluru at 7%. Among non-metro markets, Bhubaneswar emerged as the top performer with 21% growth, while Indore and Coimbatore recorded gains of 15% and 10%, respectively.
Global Capability Centre (GCC) hiring remained broadly stable, declining marginally by 1% nationally. However, southern cities continued to attract strong GCC demand, with Chennai posting 19% growth and Hyderabad recording 15% growth.
The telecom sector, which had remained under pressure for much of the previous year, returned to growth with a 6% increase in hiring. The recovery was driven largely by fresh graduates, with telecom fresher hiring surging 25% year-on-year during June.
Not all sectors witnessed growth during the month. Banking recorded a 12% decline in hiring, while Education fell 4%. IT and Hospitality each saw hiring fall by 3%, while sectors such as Oil & Gas, Retail and Automobiles remained largely flat.
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First Published on July 6, 2026, 12:37:24 IST
