Archive · 9 Jan 2026
White-collar hiring ends 2025 strong, up 13% in December
India's job market for office jobs ended 2025 on a high note.
The Naukri JobSpeak Index, which measures job postings, went up by 13% compared to the previous year, reaching 3,001 points in December.
This growth was led by sectors like Hospitality, Insurance, and Real Estate, which saw big increases in job postings.
Jobs in AI and machine learning also grew a lot, by 53%.
Hiring for fresh graduates went up by 18%, and jobs that pay more than ₹20 lakh per year increased by 27%.
Cities like Jaipur and Ahmedabad saw the biggest growth in job postings.
Unicorns, which are startups worth over $1 billion, also hired more people, especially in cities like Chennai and Hyderabad.
Experts say this shows that non-tech sectors are becoming more important and are creating more job opportunities.
India's white-collar job market ended 2025 strongly with a 13% year-on-year increase in the Naukri JobSpeak Index, reaching 3,001 points in December.
Top growing sectors include Hospitality (+29%), Insurance (+34%), and Real Estate (+21%), with strong demand in AI/ML roles (+53%).
Fresher hiring rose by 18%, and high-value roles (over ₹20 lakh per annum) grew by 27%.
Non-metro cities like Jaipur (+94%) and Ahmedabad (+73%) led the growth in BPO/ITES, while Mumbai (+28%), Delhi-NCR (+25%), and Hyderabad (+49%) drove other sectors.
Cybersecurity hiring saw a 42% year-on-year increase, with high demand for roles like Application Security Engineer (+52%) and Security Architect (+43%).
- Who
- Naukri.com
- What
- India's white-collar job market closed 2025 on a strong note with a 13% year-on-year increase in the Naukri JobSpeak Index
- When
- December 2025
- Where
- India, with significant growth in non-metro cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Hyderabad
- Why
- Strong demand in sectors like Hospitality, Insurance, Real Estate, and AI/ML roles, along with increased hiring in non-tech sectors and unicorns
- Naukri JobSpeak Index
- 3,001 points in December 2025 (up 13% YoY)
- Top Growing Sectors
- Hospitality (+29%), Insurance (+34%), Real Estate (+21%)
- AI/ML Roles Growth
- 53% year-on-year
- Fresher Hiring Growth
- 18% year-on-year
- High-Value Roles Growth
- 27% year-on-year (over ₹20 lakh per annum)
- Cybersecurity Hiring Growth
- 42% year-on-year
- Top Roles in Cybersecurity
- Application Security Engineer (+52%), Manager Information Security (+50%), Security Architect (+43%)
- Non-Metro Cities Growth
- Jaipur (+94%), Ahmedabad (+73%), Mumbai (+28%), Delhi-NCR (+25%), Hyderabad (+49%)
- Unicorn Hiring Growth
- 21% year-on-year
- Southern Metros Growth
- Chennai (+45%), Hyderabad (+30%)