India, 3 March 2026: India's white-collar job market posted its strongest February performance in recent years, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index reaching 3,233 points - up 12% year-on-year from 2,890 points in February 2025.
February typically sees a seasonal uptick over January, and this year was no exception - but the scale of that swing stood out. The month-on-month acceleration from January to February came in at 23%, noticeably sharper than the 13–16% range typically seen between the two months.
Fresher hiring (0–3 years) grew +17% YOY, and demand for roles in the 20+ LPA band rose +23%, reflecting strength across both entry-level and high-value talent segments.
Non-IT sectors continued to anchor the hiring momentum, with Insurance leading at 28% YOY, followed by BPO/ITES (+22%), Real Estate (+19%), Hospitality/Travel (+15%) and Retail (+14%). The IT sector entered the positive territory with a +6% YOY increase, moving away from the stable trend observed over the preceding quarters. AI/ML roles sustained their strong trajectory, rising +49% YOY.
IT Sector’s Growth Driven by High-Value Roles & Indian MNCs
The IT sector posted a +6% YOY growth in February 2026. Interestingly, hiring for salary bands below 20+ LPA remained flat, while demand climbed sharply up the pay scale. Hiring in the 20+ LPA band grew +19% YOY, with the 50+ LPA band surging 45% YOY.
Fresher hiring in the sector also grew by a healthy +8%. Indian IT MNCs were the primary driver, recording a +55% hiring surge. Within the sector, AI/ML hiring rose +40%, reinforcing that IT's February performance was concentrated in its highest-skill, highest-value talent segments.
Non-IT Sectors and Non-Metro Cities Power the Surge in Fresher Hiring
Overall, fresher hiring grew +17% YOY, with non-IT sectors leading the way: BPO/ITES (+48%), Insurance (+42%), Retail (+39%), and Hospitality (+39%) were the top contributors.
Non-metro cities added to the momentum, with Jaipur (+25%), Coimbatore (+20%), and Vadodara/Baroda (+20%) among the standout performers. Notably, the 20+ LPA fresher band grew the highest at +30%.
Insurance Posts Strongest Sectoral Growth, Powered by Both Foreign and Indian MNCs
Insurance has steadily climbed the hiring rankings through the last 6 months. With +28% YOY growth in February - the sector has emerged as one of the most durable growth stories in the current job market.
What makes the Insurance story distinctive is the convergence of demand from multiple directions at once. Foreign MNCs recorded a +62% increase in Insurance hiring, while Indian MNCs delivered an even sharper +71% growth.
Senior talent was particularly sought after: professionals in the 13–16 year experience band saw +50% growth, and roles at the 20+ LPA level surged +55%. Geographically, Pune (+24%), Mumbai (+20%), and Bengaluru (+19%) led hiring across the sector.
Indian MNCs Lead AI Hiring Momentum
In February 2026, Indian MNCs expanded hiring by +24% YOY. However, the gap becomes most striking in AI/ML hiring.
Indian MNCs grew their AI/ML hiring by +82% YOY, compared to +43% for Foreign MNCs, nearly double the pace, highlighting where domestic enterprises are placing their biggest bets.
Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri said, “The 23% month-on-month swing from January to February is sharper than historical patterns, and the composition backs it up - IT hiring is recovering meaningfully, and Indian MNCs are investing in AI talent at a healthy pace. The underlying momentum heading into the new fiscal year looks genuinely solid."
Methodology
The Naukri JobSpeak is a monthly index that tracks trends in India’s job market and hiring activity, based on new job postings (including free job listings*) and recruiter searches on Naukri.com’s resume database. Using July 2008 as the base month (Index = 1,000), the index analyses hiring patterns across industries, cities, and experience levels. It aggregates data from over 150,000 clients, covering 80 lakh+ new job mandates annually.
*Following the inclusion of free listings, hiring activity is witnessing a transient uplift due to higher participation from small and medium businesses, which is expected to normalise once the base adjusts over the next few months. The index excludes gig employment, hyperlocal hiring, and campus placements.
About Naukri
Naukri, pioneering e-recruitment in India since 1997, is the country's leading job site and Info Edge's flagship brand. As the first internet company to be listed in India, Info Edge through Naukri has maintained the highest market share and brand awareness among both job seekers and recruiters for over two decades. The platform has consistently outperformed competitors, making it synonymous with online job search in India.
