India’s white-collar job market entered a predictable correction phase in October 2025, with overall hiring declining 5% MoM as the festive surge settled. Despite this pullback, the broader trend remains strong, with 17% YoY growth indicating that long-term demand for skilled talent continues to rise steadily across multiple sectors.
Industry-wise Hiring Trends
In Demand Sectors
- Retail (+8% MoM, +56% YoY): Hiring remained elevated as brands extended festive fulfilment cycles, driving continued activity across stores, warehouses, and last-mile delivery.
- Media & Entertainment (+5% MoM, +30% YoY): Marketing campaigns, OTT content operations, and seasonal advertising kept the sector’s momentum intact.
- Printing & Packaging (+3% MoM, +7% YoY): Increased consumer demand supported sustained production and packaging requirements through October.
Holding Steady
- Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals (+29% YoY): Long-term hiring remained strong due to ongoing capacity expansion and demand for healthcare professionals.
- Manufacturing (+36% YoY): Output growth, export-linked demand, and domestic production kept recruitment levels stable.
- BFSI (+1% MoM, +15% YoY): Banks and insurers continued to hire for credit, collections, and festive-season financial products.
Facing Challenges
- Logistics & Transportation (-9% MoM): Hiring tapered as shipment volumes normalised after September’s festive peak.
- Energy (-6% MoM): Project-linked hiring saw a temporary slowdown following earlier execution-heavy months.
- IT Services (-6% MoM): A mild cooldown emerged after an active Q3, though organisations continue to recruit selectively for high-skill roles.
- Import & Export (-8% MoM): Weak global trade sentiment continued to weigh on hiring in outward-focused industries.
Functional Trends in Hiring
In Demand
- HR & Admin (+6% MoM, +28% YoY): The post-festive onboarding cycle and year-end workforce planning drove a noticeable uptick in activity.
- Finance & Accounting (+5% MoM, +24% YoY): Companies ramped up hiring for credit operations, reporting cycles, and financial closure tasks.
- Customer Service (+4% MoM, +15% YoY): E-commerce, retail, and service operators continued to scale support roles to manage festive spillover.
Facing Challenges
- IT (-1% MoM, +46% YoY): A slight dip followed months of strong technology hiring, though yearly growth remains exceptionally high.
- Sales & Business Development (-3% MoM, +20% YoY): Recruitment stabilised as seasonal sales activity cooled.
- Engineering & Production (-4% MoM, -10% YoY): Factory-linked roles continued to soften amid slower project pipelines.
Location Trends: Tier-2 Stability Holds Strong
In Demand Cities
- Bengaluru (+2% MoM, +18% YoY): Hiring remained strong, anchored by technology, start-ups, and e-commerce operations.
- Mumbai (+16% YoY) & Hyderabad (+12% YoY): BFSI, fintech, and IT-driven hiring supported sustained momentum.
- Ahmedabad (+14% YoY) & Kochi (+8% YoY): Tier-2 cities continued to hire steadily across retail, logistics, and customer operations.
Facing Challenges
- Delhi-NCR (-4% MoM, -5% YoY): Hiring became more selective, particularly in IT and BFSI.
- Chennai (+7% YoY) & Coimbatore (+1% YoY): Growth softened as festive-related demand tapered.
Summary
Hiring in October 2025 followed a classic post-festive recalibration. Consumer-led industries carried forward some momentum, infrastructure and healthcare remained stable, and Tier-2 cities continued to anchor national hiring resilience. Despite short-term dips, the overall annual trend points to a confident and expanding labour market.
