India, 06 April 2026: India’s white-collar job market concluded the financial year on a strong note, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index reaching 2858 in March, clocking a 9% YOY growth. This strong performance cemented an annual growth of +8% for FY’26, a significant jump from the +2% growth recorded in FY’25.
Non-IT sectors continued to anchor the job market’s expansion, with Hospitality emerging as a standout player with an exceptional +21% YOY growth; followed by BPO/ITES (+18%), Oil & Gas (+15%), Education (+15%) and Real Estate (+14%). While the IT sector remained flat, AI/ML hiring witnessed a +37% YOY growth in March and ended the full fiscal at +45%.
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Fresher hiring (0–3 years) grew +16% YOY, with growth distributed across both metro and non-metro markets. Demand for talent in the 20+ LPA salary band expanded +16%. Unicorn hiring also emerged as a bright spot which witnessed a +24% YOY surge.
AI/ML Roles Command a Premium: Demand Sharpest at the Top of the Pay Scale
AI/ML hiring grew +37% YOY in March, but the distribution of that demand tells the more interesting story. Growth was steepest at the highest salary levels - the 50+ LPA band led at +55%, 40-49 LPA saw a +40% growth and 30-39 LPA saw a +41% growth.
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Geographically, Kolkata led AI/ML hiring with +56% YOY growth, with Delhi NCR close behind at +44% - both outpacing the established tech hubs of Bengaluru and Hyderabad in this particular domain.
Service-driven non-IT sectors witnessed remarkable resilience throughout FY’26
Industries such as Hospitality, Education, and BPO/ITES emerged as the bedrock of stability, posting positive growth in every single month. These sectors were also the primary catalysts for entry-level recruitment; in March alone, fresher hiring surged by +49% in Hospitality, +38% in BPO/ITES, and +25% in Education. Close behind, Insurance and Real Estate maintained a strong trajectory, recording growth in 11 out of the 12 months.
Tier-II Cities Emerge as Consistent Hiring Engines Through FY'26
Emerging cities held their ground through FY'26, with the southern and western corridors leading the way. Coimbatore was the standout for consistency - positive growth in 11 of 12 months through the fiscal, closing March at +17%. Gandhinagar and Surat were similarly steady, each recording growth in more than seven of the twelve months, with March delivering +40% and +16% respectively.
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The growth in these cities was largely anchored by non-IT sectors - BPO/ITES, Pharma, and Oil & Gas providing the bulk of the demand.
Fresher Hiring Soars, with High-Value Talent in Sharpest Demand
Overall hiring for professionals with 0-3 years of experience climbed 16% YOY, the highest growth rate across all experience brackets. While opportunities expanded across salary bands, the sharpest increase in demand was for high-value entry-level talent. Hiring for freshers in the 20+ LPA salary bracket grew by an impressive 23% YOY.
Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri, said, “FY’26 has closed on a distinctly stronger note than last year, marked by the sustained resilience of non-IT sectors and tier II cities. What stood out in March was high-value talent in demand across the board; from freshers commanding premium salaries to AI/ML roles seeing sharpest traction at the 50+ LPA band.The foundation heading into FY'27 looks solid.”
