Naukri JobSpeak: White-collar hiring remains stable in May; AI/ML roles and Insurance sector continue to lead

by Naukri Content Team |

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India, 1 June 2026: White-collar hiring remained stable in May 2026, according to the Naukri JobSpeak Index, which stood at 2836, marginally higher than the 2807 mark recorded in May 2025. The Insurance sector continued to lead with a +19% YOY growth followed by BPO/ITES at +9%, Healthcare at +6% and Hospitality at +5%.

Among major metros, Hyderabad continued to post positive hiring growth at +6% YOY, while emerging cities such as Coimbatore grew at +8% and Surat at +9%. Fresher hiring & AI/ML roles continued to grow, witnessing a +7% and +22% YOY growth respectively.

Hitesh Oberoi, MD & CEO, Info Edge (India) Limited said, “While the job market remained stable in May, demand for high-value talent continued to stand out across industries, with AI/ML roles leading the charge. Hiring for AI/ML roles offering salaries above ₹30 LPA grew 27%, during the month. We are also seeing encouraging fresher hiring momentum in emerging cities like Jaipur & Coimbatore.” .

GCC hiring grows across leading metro markets

GCC hiring witnessed a healthy +8% growth across leading metro markets in May 2026, led by Chennai (+25%), Hyderabad (+20%) and Pune (+16%). Delhi NCR (+8%), Bengaluru (+5%) and Mumbai (+5%) also recorded positive hiring growth by GCCs, during the month. The trend highlights continued hiring activity across established GCC hubs despite a relatively stable overall job market.

While sectors like Insurance, BPO/ITES, Healthcare & Hospitality led hiring activity in May, sectors such as FMCG, Retail & Real Estate remained largely flat. Meanwhile, Banking (-15%), Telecom (-12%), Pharma (-8%), IT (-7%), Auto (-7%), Education (-6%) and Oil & Gas (-6%) witnessed a decline in hiring during the month.

The FMCG sector, however, recorded positive momentum in southern markets, with hiring rising by +14% in Hyderabad and +17% in Chennai.

Related Reading: More Naukri JobSpeak Reports

AI-ML Hiring Continues to See Strong Growth

Senior professionals remained the most sought-after talent for AI-ML roles, with hiring for professionals in the 13–16 years experience band growing by 32%, followed by a 28% increase for those with over 16 years of experience.

Among cities, Hyderabad led AI hiring growth with a 44% surge, followed by Delhi NCR at 34% and Chennai at 31%.

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Fresher hiring growth was driven by customer-facing roles

While fresher hiring grew 7% YoY in May 2026, demand was primarily driven by customer-facing roles. Relationship Manager (+75%), Loan Officer (+62%), Retail Sales (+50%), Customer Engagement (+43%) and Customer Success Associate (+35%) were among the fastest-growing fresher roles during the month. Hospitality (+30%), Retail (+30%) and BPO/ITES (+28%) emerged as the top sectors driving fresher hiring.

Related Reading: High-Paying Skills in India

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