A significant 61 per cent of employers were engaged in hiring between April and June 2023 quarter, according to a report by hiring platform Indeed.   

The report also indicates an increase of 8 per cent in white-collar hiring during the period, even in the face of layoffs and economic uncertainties. 

According to the report, the IT industry is the most in-demand sector and continues to exhibit resilience. Hence, it remained the most preferred functional area of work (18 per cent) for employees during the quarter. The high demand is also due to the fact that this sector is constantly evolving, which means there are always new opportunities for skilled workers.

This is followed by production and manufacturing (17 per cent), sales (15 per cent), and marketing (13 per cent). 

An increase in demand for specific skill sets was seen by both employees and employers. In addition to technical skills, employers are also looking for employees with soft skills, such as communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. These skills are essential for employees to be able to work effectively in today's dynamic and rapidly changing workplace, the report observed.   

Layoffs have had a significant impact on the job market. 62 per cent of employees surveyed reported job losses either personally or among their peers.  

Most employers (71 per cent) consider the current white-collar job market conditions for new graduates to be challenging with limited opportunities.

The biggest challenges that fresh graduates face are the lack of openings for everyone (41 per cent) and the constantly changing skill requirements from employers (11 per cent). However, despite these challenges, the report observed that 28 per cent of employers hired freshers, a 5 per cent increase from the previous quarter, indicating a likely positive trend in the upcoming quarters. 

The job market is also not the same in all parts of India. There are more opportunities in some regions than others, and the specific skills that are in demand also vary by region.

The metro cities are where job openings are lacking for freshers, like as Kolkata (50 per cent), Chennai (46 per cent) and Delhi/NCR (45 per cent). Non-metro cities and upcoming tech hubs like Hyderabad (37 per cent) and Pune (39 per cent) are hotspots of demand for freshers.