India’s white-collar hiring index eased by 2% month-on-month but stayed 19% above last year’s level.
Behind that headline, Global Capability Centres (GCCs) continued to expand — up 12% YoY — and are now spreading beyond the big six metros into a fast-growing ring of Tier-2 cities.
Metros Still Dominate, but Tier-2 Is Catching Up
- Metro hubs — Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai, and NCR — still account for 91% of GCC postings, with consistent YoY growth.
- Tier-2 cities like Kochi, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Indore, and Jaipur are growing faster, with over 20% annual growth, driven by geographic diversification and lower-cost talent.
IT and Fintech Industries Propel GCC Growth
- The IT/R&D sector remains the core growth engine, commanding 38% of GCC jobs, followed closely by BFSI/Fintech at 21%.
- Manufacturing & Engineering also held strong with an 11% job share, highlighting a diverse sectoral spread.
Entry-Level Professionals Drive GCC Hiring
- Fresh graduates (0–3 years) make up the largest share of hiring—especially in software engineering, QA, data analytics, and finance ops.
What’s changing: Companies are hiring more experienced professionals to lead delivery, manage transformation, and anchor GCC strategy.
Mid-level and senior hiring is clearly gaining ground, signalling growing confidence and maturity across GCC operations.
Function-Wise Trends Reflect Growing GCC Maturity
IT functions remain the most significant driver, comprising 36% of jobs. However, hiring across Engineering, Finance & Accounting, and Strategic Roles is on the rise, showing a shift towards multi-functional, full-stack teams.
Overall Hiring Trends – July 2025
Industry-wise highlights
Despite the overall dip, certain sectors posted strong month-on-month growth:
- FMCG: +11% MoM / +31% YoY, driven by early festive prep and Tier-2 expansion.
- Non-profit Organisations: +4% MoM / +60% YoY, likely from CSR-related activity.
- Media & Entertainment and Construction & Engineering also showed modest gains.
In contrast, Energy (–10% MoM) and Import & Export (–14% MoM) showed mirroring broader global pressures.
Functional Highlights
- Senior Management hiring climbed +5% MoM, +51% YoY as firms lock in H2 transformation leaders.
- IT roles matched that +5% MoM on ongoing demand for full-stack, AI/ML and cyber-security talent.
- Creative functions saw the sharpest pull-back (-6% MoM) after a Q2 campaign burst.
Location-wise Hiring Trends for July
Tier-2 cities like Coimbatore and NCR saw growth, while major metros saw a short-term dip, underlining the strategic shift in where companies are hiring from.
- Coimbatore (+4% MoM, +25% YoY) tops the growth chart among Tier-2 cities.
- Major metros softened: Mumbai (- 4%), Chennai (- 3%), Bengaluru & Hyderabad (-2%) MoM.
Hiring Outlook for July
Hiring sentiment remains cautiously optimistic. GCCs are doubling down on India’s cost-effective, deep talent pools — now visible well beyond the metros. — while consumer-facing sectors prop up overall demand.
With festive hiring ahead, expect targeted expansion, led by Tier-2 cities and experienced tech talent.
