Women in India are increasingly becoming an active part of the workforce. Their participation in the workforce has increased by 23 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2024. Out of the record-breaking 1.8 crore job applications received in Q1 of 2025 form, 62 lakh were from women reveals the ‘India at Work – Q1 2025’ report by the jobs platform, Apna. This is 30 per cent more than 2024. About 66 lakh applications were received from freshers, which is 46 per cent more than was seen during the same time last year.
Interestingly, there was a 92 per cent increase in the number of women applying for enterprise roles. What is even more interesting is that the numbers are steadily growing in Indore, Chandigarh, Jamshedpur and other tier-2 and 3 cities. The reason for these encouraging numbers is the availability of flexible work options in addition to gender-inclusive hiring, and expanded opportunities in BPOs, finance companies, and the human-resources domain. Even more interesting is the fact that the maximum number of jobs (2.1 lakh) was posted by small and medium businesses or SMBs. Of these, 28,547 roles were exclusively for women. Enterprise hiring surged with companies such as Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Paytm, Delhivery and Flipkart posting more than one lakh openings, reaching out to talent beyond the metros. Jobs were created across more than 900 cities.
More and more companies are recruiting from beyond the metros now, from cities such as Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, Meerut, Rajkot and Warangal. These cities have witnessed a 30-50 per cent year-on-year growth in tech job applications, driven by increased access to engineering talent, certifications and stronger digital infrastructure. The rise of remote-first work models has further enabled these cities to tap into a broader pool of tech professionals.
The surge in job applications is proof of the country’s growing economic optimism and digital hiring boom across sectors, says the report.
Are there enough jobs available? The platform saw 3.1 lakh job postings, which is 26 per cent more than the number posted during the first quarter of 2024.
The demand for tech talent with advanced skills is also rising. In fact, Q1 saw a 65.4 per cent rise in job postings for software and web developer roles, with a 42.2 per cent rise in fresher applications for these roles. So, yes, India is transforming digitally. And yes, the need for specialised talent in AI, machine learning (ML), cybersecurity, business intelligence, and data-driven operations is on the rise, as companies go digital.
