India’s white-collar job market expanded 5 per cent year-on-year in July, supported by strong hiring across non-IT sectors and a sharp rise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) roles.
The latest employment data shows that while overall technology hiring remained flat, demand for AI-ML talent jumped 33 per cent year over year. Companies are increasingly prioritising niche, high-skill capabilities even as they moderate general IT recruitment.
Non-IT industries led the growth. Hospitality, insurance, education and oil & gas posted double-digit increases, fuelled by both entry-level and experienced hiring. Fresher recruitment rose around 8 per cent year over year, and there was notable traction for professionals with 13-16 years of experience, signalling investment in leadership and domain expertise.
Geographically, hiring momentum was visible across metros and emerging cities. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai reported steady gains. Tier-2 hubs including Jaipur, Coimbatore and Indore also saw healthy upticks, particularly in customer-facing and early-career roles.
A key trend was the premium on high-paying jobs. Hiring for AI/ML positions offering salaries above Rs 30 lakh per annum grew significantly. Data science, IT and information security, and engineering functions saw the sharpest demand. Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and Chennai emerged as top cities for AI hiring growth.
Global Capability Centres contributed as well. With overall GCC hiring up 5 per cent, Mumbai outpaced other metros with 18 per cent growth, led by strategy consulting and KPO/research/analytics roles.
Industry leaders noted that non-IT sectors have sustained hiring momentum for several quarters, especially in fresher roles.
The July data suggests a stabilising broader job market, with the real acceleration concentrated in AI-driven roles and diversification beyond traditional IT hiring.
