Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/mL) surged with employment growth of 36% last year, along with stable profits from other high-growth regions such as Oil and Gas (+13%), FMCG (+12%) and Healthcare (+12%), with recruitment rising 36%.
“The Indian job market is entering 2025 with vitality driven by the growth and creative sector of AI/ML,” said Pawan Goyal, chief business officer at Naukri.com.
Geographically, South India has boosted overall momentum by promoting employment fees led by Chennai (+35%) and Bangalore (+21%).
Meanwhile, entry-level recruitment, which remained restrained for most of the year, showed signs of recovery in December with a 6% increase.
The architecture and interior design industry stood out with new hires, growing 39% last month, based on demand for roles such as interior designers and video editors. The FMCG sector was the highest of the year, with fresher jobs increasing by 18%. Beauty and wellness (+26%) and consumer durables (+19%) also contributed to the increase, reflecting the demands of the creative and lifestyle industries. “The surge in the role of fresher jobs and the evolving C-suites indicates that we are moving towards a more dynamic landscape,” says Goyal. “Traditional sectors like FMCG embrace this evolution and combine fresh talent with strategic expertise.” Technical roles like machine learning engineers saw an astonishing 71% growth, highlighting the increased reliance on AI-driven skills.
Meanwhile, employment for veteran experts (over 16 years of experience) and high-paying positions (20 lakh per year) increased by 29%, with demand expanding beyond the traditional CFO and CTO roles.
Professional leadership positions such as Chief Safety Officer (+14%) and Chief Justice Officer (+12%) also gained traction, reflecting a shift towards diversification at the executive level.
The role of strategic and top management has seen an increase of 17%, highlighting the company's focus on leadership to navigate the rapidly changing market.
Jobs in South India continued to gain ground, with Coimbatore gaining a 14% increase in fresh recruitment and strengthened by a 52% surge in employment by foreign multinationals. Hyderabad recorded a 15% growth, supported by IT demand, consumer durability and the real estate sector.
In consumer durable spaces, overall employment rose 14%, with Bengaluru and Chennai leading the fees, reporting growth rates of 21% and 35%, respectively.
The sales and marketing division rose 7% in December, while the campaign manager's role accelerated a 20% increase. The roles of direct marketing (+8%) and marketing leadership (+6%) also showed stable growth, indicating the company's focus on strengthening its marketing team.
