Job Market

India is poised to become a global AI talent hub, but a looming skill gap threatens to hinder its progress, with a new study by Bain & Company revealing that the country's AI sector could face a shortfall of over a million skilled professionals by 2027. The report highlighted the urgent need for India to reskill and upskill its workforce to meet the growing demand for AI expertise. "India has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global AI talent hub. However, by 2027, the job openings in AI are expected to be 1.52x of the talent availability. The challenge -- and opportunity -- lies in reskilling and upskilling a significant portion of the existing talent base on emerging technology tools and skillsets," said Saikat Banerjee, Partner and leader in Bain & Company's AI, Insights, and Solutions practice in India. India's AI sector could surpass 2.3 million job openings by 2027 while the AI talent pool is expected to grow to around 1.2 million, presenting an opportunity to

India's job market continued its upward momentum in February, witnessing 41 per cent year-on-year growth mainly driven by freshers hiring, a report said on Thursday. In February, fresher hiring rose by 26 per cent year-on-year (YoY) reflecting sustained employer demand for entry-level talent, according to data by foundit (formerly Monster APAC and ME), Asia's jobs and talent platform. There has been 41 per cent growth in hiring in February 2025 compared to a year ago, driven by the fresher job market which maintained steady growth, according to the report. Among sectors, IT - Hardware and Software continued to lead fresher hiring, nearly doubling its share from 17 per cent in 2024 to 34 per cent in 2025, the report said. "The shift towards skill-based hiring is undeniable. Employers are increasingly prioritising candidates with practical expertise and industry-relevant skills," foundit CEO V Suresh stated. The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) is a comprehensive monthly analysis of .

The Indian white-collar job market maintained its growth momentum in February this year, recording a 4 per cent year-on-year increase, mainly led by recruitments in the Artificial Intelligence (AI-ML) and hospitality sectors, a report said on Monday. The job market has begun the new year on a positive note, reporting positive growth in both January and February. "Moreover, considering that February last year saw an 8 per cent de-growth, it looks even more promising this year around. While AI/ML hiring continues its buoyant trend, it is also encouraging to see sectors like Hospitality driving growth," Naukri Chief Business Officer Pawan Goyal said, quoting the Naukri JobSpeak Index report. The Naukri JobSpeak is a monthly Index that tracks Indian job market trends and hiring activity based on new job listings and recruiter searches on Naukri.com's resume database. Further, the report revealed that the other sectors which demonstrated positive performance in February include real est

Vimal Kejriwal, managing director and CEO of KEC International, in a recent call with analysts, noted that labourers earlier worked at a site for close to a year before availing their annual leave

Most of the hiring will be for entry-level talent, with demand for skills in customer experience and support services (17 per cent), cybersecurity and data protection (17 per cent)

Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on Tuesday lauded the Modi government for doing a lot of good work on the infrastructure front in India and hoped there would be some concrete steps in the upcoming Budget to boost the job market. Speaking at a session on the US dollar here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Rajan also said the depreciation in rupee to near Rs 85-level against the US dollar is more because of the strengthening of the American currency rather than any domestic factor. The Modi government has done a lot of good work on the infrastructure front but the other key pillar that needs to boost consumption is the job market, he said. India is growing at 6 per cent, which is actually great but when we look at per capita figures, it needs to grow much faster, Rajan said. There is an urgent need to boost the job market, he said, adding, "a Union Budget is due in the next few days and hopefully we will see something there". When people talk about US dollar remaining

While referrals are typically reserved for known quantities - former colleagues, or at least someone with a mutual acquaintance who can vouch for them - there's a burgeoning underground market

The quick commerce industry hired about 40,000 workers last quarter to handle increased festive shopping and e-commerce demand

HCLTech, which is also set to release its third-quarter earnings on January 13, is projected to lead growth among Tier-I IT firms

Franco Pereyra, co-founder, COO of Near sparked an online debate by claiming that the less pay for third-world countries employees is justifiable. However, people denied and countered the narrative

The growth rate of remittances this year is estimated to be 5.8 per cent, compared to 1.2 per cent registered in 2023

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

White collar hiring activity witnessed a growth of 10 per cent year-on-year in October mainly driven by a rise in recruitment in sectors, including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, and IT, a report said on Monday. The Naukri JobSpeak Index, India's leading indicator of white-collar hiring activity, demonstrated robust growth in October, reaching 2,733 points compared to 2,484 in the same month of 2023, marking a significant 10 per cent year-on-year increase. Key sectors, including oil & gas (18 per cent), pharma/biotech (12 per cent), FMCG (8 per cent), and IT (6 per cent) emerged as primary drivers of this positive trend, with AI/ML roles showing exceptional growth at 39 per cent year-on-year, the report stated. Hiring in the IT sector showed positive growth in four out of the seven months this financial year, auguring well for balance of year trends, added the report. The Naukri JobSpeak is a monthly Index representing the state of the Indian job market and hiring activity ...

Initial claims decreased by 12,000 to 216,000 in the week ended Oct. 26. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 230,000 applications

Hiring will be focused on specialized skills; TCS and HCLTech doubling their focus on hiring specialized skills

The female LFPR - rural and urban combined - also increased from a low of 23.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 41.7 per cent in the latest survey

Deloitte's Romal Shetty said that while AI could create more jobs but roles involving repetitive tasks are at risk. He also stressed that while regulations are crucial, it shouldn't stifle innovation

Skilling activities should be aligned with the requirements of the industry and the job market, Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary said on Wednesday. Inaugurating the Airbus-Tata STRIVE skill development centre here, the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister also asked the two companies to further deepen their collaborations with higher education institutions. "It (skilling) needs to be completely aligned with industry, with the requirements of the job market, with the labour market. It needs to be to accentuate what is already present in India," the minister said. Later talking to reporters, he mentioned increasing migration from rural to urban areas and said everyone might not be getting jobs. Against this backdrop, the minister pitched for encouraging development of entrepreneurship skills among youth. The centres at Delhi and Bengaluru will offer courses in the field of Information Technology (IT) such as cybersecurity, ethical hacking, web designing, cloud computing a

Forty-seven per cent Gen Z professionals plan to leave their jobs within two years, while as many prioritise work-life balance when evaluating potential employers, according to a survey. The report, titled "Gen Z at workplace", is based on a survey of over 5,350 Gen Z and 500 HR professionals, conducted by Unstop -- a talent engagement and hiring platform for students and graduates. The report highlighted a significant concern among Gen Z professionals, with 51 per cent expressing fear of job loss at present. This anxiety extends to their career prospects, as 40 per cent worry about securing positions in their preferred fields upon entering the job market. "Despite these reservations, Gen Z demonstrates a clear set of priorities when it comes to their careers. 77 pc of the respondents prioritise the role or brand over commercials, with 43 pc specifically seeking hands-on experience and growth opportunities. This focus on professional development is further emphasised by the fact tha