White-Collar Hiring Rises 14% in August as AI and Machine-Learning Roles Grow 31%

White-Collar Hiring Rises 14% in August as AI and Machine-Learning Roles Grow 31%

India's white-collar hiring activity increased 14% year-on-year in August 2026, led by stronger recruitment across automobile, healthcare, retail and specialised technology roles, while demand for artificial intelligence and machine-learning professionals surged 31%.

The latest Naukri JobSpeak Index rose to:

3,028

in August from:

2,664

in the corresponding month a year earlier.

The increase indicates a broad improvement in recruitment compared with August 2025, although hiring activity declined around 6% month-on-month from the 3,227 index level recorded in July.

The data shows that India's employment recovery remains uneven but increasingly focused on specialised skills, with AI and machine learning emerging as some of the strongest areas of demand.

Freshers also benefited from the improved environment, with entry-level hiring rising:

15% year-on-year.

Meanwhile, recruitment by Global Capability Centres increased:

10%.

Naukri JobSpeak Index Rises to 3,028

The Naukri JobSpeak Index reached:

3,028 points

during August 2026.

That compares with:

2,664 points

in August 2025.

The resulting 14% year-on-year increase indicates that employers posted and searched for significantly more white-collar talent than during the same month last year.

The index is based on hiring activity visible on Naukri.com's recruitment platform, including new job listings and recruiter searches across its resume database.

Hiring Falls 6% From July

The annual increase needs to be viewed alongside a weaker month-on-month comparison.

The index stood at:

3,227

in July.

August's 3,028 reading therefore represents a decline of around:

6%.

This suggests that while hiring remains substantially stronger than a year ago, the month did not maintain July's unusually high level of recruitment activity.

Festive Calendar Complicates Monthly Comparison

Info Edge management cautioned that the changing festive calendar could influence hiring comparisons.

A larger share of the festive period fell in August last year, while more activity has shifted into September this year.

This can affect recruitment in sectors linked to:

consumer demand,

retail,

logistics,

sales,

and seasonal operations.

A clearer picture of underlying hiring momentum is therefore likely to emerge across the broader festive quarter.

AI and Machine-Learning Hiring Jumps 31%

The strongest structural theme in the report was continued demand for:

artificial intelligence and machine-learning talent.

Hiring for AI and ML roles increased:

31% year-on-year

in August.

The figure significantly outpaced the 14% growth recorded across the overall white-collar employment market.

This suggests companies are continuing to prioritise specialised AI capabilities even as broader technology hiring remains more measured.

AI Hiring Reflects Shift in Enterprise Technology Spending

Companies across industries are investing in AI for applications including:

automation,

customer service,

software development,

data analytics,

fraud detection,

marketing,

and operational optimisation.

That investment creates demand for employees capable of:

building AI systems,

deploying models,

managing data infrastructure,

and integrating AI into existing enterprise workflows.

AI recruitment is therefore no longer limited to specialist technology companies.

Hyderabad Leads AI and ML Hiring Growth

Among major cities, Hyderabad recorded the strongest growth in AI and machine-learning recruitment.

AI/ML hiring in Hyderabad increased:

48% year-on-year.

The city has developed into a major technology and Global Capability Centre hub, with multinational companies expanding teams across:

cloud computing,

data engineering,

AI,

cybersecurity,

and enterprise software.

This ecosystem is supporting increasingly specialised technology hiring.

Mumbai AI Hiring Rises 36%

Mumbai recorded the second-highest AI and ML hiring growth among major cities at:

36%.

The city's demand is supported not only by technology companies but also by sectors such as:

banking,

financial services,

insurance,

consulting,

and consumer businesses.

Many of these industries are rapidly deploying AI for risk assessment, customer analytics, fraud prevention and automation.

Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune Record 31% Growth

AI and machine-learning hiring increased:

31%

in each of:

Bengaluru,

Chennai,

and Pune.

Bengaluru remains India's largest technology and startup hub, while Chennai and Pune have strong bases in:

engineering,

IT services,

automotive technology,

and enterprise software.

The similar growth rates across all three cities show that AI hiring is becoming geographically distributed rather than being concentrated in a single technology centre.

IT Hiring Grows 11%

The broader information-technology sector recorded:

11% year-on-year hiring growth.

This was positive but slower than the 31% increase in AI and ML roles.

The difference illustrates an important shift within technology recruitment.

Traditional roles remain relevant, but employers are increasingly prioritising:

AI,

cloud,

data,

cybersecurity,

and other advanced skills.

The technology job market is therefore becoming more specialised.

Auto Sector Leads Major Industry Growth

The automobile and auto-ancillary sector recorded:

19% year-on-year hiring growth.

That made it one of the strongest major sectors covered by the JobSpeak report.

The industry is undergoing substantial technological change driven by:

electric vehicles,

electronics,

software-defined vehicles,

advanced manufacturing,

and connected-car technologies.

These changes are increasing demand for both traditional engineering and new digital capabilities.

Healthcare Hiring Rises 16%

Healthcare recruitment increased:

16% year-on-year.

Demand in the sector can span:

hospitals,

diagnostics,

health technology,

medical services,

and specialised corporate functions.

Healthcare employment tends to be supported by structural factors including:

population growth,

insurance penetration,

greater healthcare spending,

and expanding private hospital networks.

Retail Hiring Increases 15%

Retail hiring grew:

15%.

The sector benefits from continued expansion across:

organised retail,

e-commerce,

premium brands,

consumer electronics,

and omnichannel commerce.

Retail companies require employees across:

sales,

operations,

merchandising,

technology,

finance,

and supply-chain management.

Festive demand can further influence recruitment patterns during the second half of the year.

Insurance Hiring Grows 12%

Hiring within insurance increased:

12% year-on-year.

India's insurance industry continues to expand across:

life,

general,

health,

and digital distribution.

Insurers are also recruiting increasingly specialised professionals in:

actuarial science,

analytics,

technology,

risk,

and digital sales.

AI adoption could further change the mix of roles required across the sector.

Banking and FMCG Hiring Increase 10%

Banking and fast-moving consumer goods each recorded:

10% year-on-year hiring growth.

Banks continue to invest in:

digital products,

technology,

risk management,

wealth management,

and customer acquisition.

FMCG companies are also strengthening teams across:

sales,

distribution,

digital commerce,

analytics,

and brand management.

The numbers point to relatively broad hiring demand outside traditional technology services.

BPO and ITES Hiring Rises 8%

The BPO and IT-enabled-services segment recorded:

8% year-on-year growth.

The sector is undergoing a major transformation as routine processes become more automated.

Companies increasingly need employees capable of handling:

complex customer interactions,

analytics,

AI-enabled operations,

and specialised domain processes.

This is changing the nature of BPO employment rather than eliminating demand entirely.

Oil and Gas Hiring Rises 8%

Oil and gas recruitment increased:

8%.

Energy companies continue to invest in:

exploration,

refining,

petrochemicals,

engineering,

digital operations,

and energy-transition projects.

Demand can therefore span traditional energy skills as well as newer capabilities associated with automation and data.

Real Estate Hiring Also Gains 8%

Real estate hiring increased:

8% year-on-year.

India's residential market remains active, especially across premium housing categories.

Large developers are also expanding into:

commercial property,

warehousing,

data centres,

and mixed-use development.

This supports employment across:

sales,

project management,

finance,

engineering,

and construction-related corporate roles.

Pharma and Biotechnology Hiring Remains Flat

Not every industry participated in the hiring increase.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology recruitment was:

flat year-on-year.

This indicates that hiring momentum remains selective even within sectors viewed as structurally attractive.

Companies may be concentrating recruitment on specific functions rather than increasing workforce numbers broadly.

Hospitality and Travel Hiring Declines 4%

Hospitality and travel hiring fell:

4% year-on-year.

The decline contrasts with some other employment trackers that have shown strength in travel-related recruitment, highlighting how different methodologies can produce different results.

The JobSpeak data specifically captures white-collar recruitment activity on Naukri's platform.

Short-term hiring patterns can therefore differ from broader industry demand.

Education Hiring Falls 8%

Education recorded one of the weakest performances.

Hiring declined:

8% year-on-year.

The education and edtech industries have experienced significant restructuring after the rapid expansion seen during the pandemic period.

Companies have become more focused on:

profitability,

efficient distribution,

and selective hiring.

That can reduce the need for broad workforce expansion.

Fresher Recruitment Rises 15%

One of the most encouraging indicators was stronger hiring for:

freshers.

Recruitment of candidates with limited or no prior experience increased:

15% year-on-year.

This suggests that employers are not restricting hiring solely to experienced professionals.

Entry-level opportunities are continuing to grow in parts of the market.

Fresher Growth Matters for Graduate Employment

India adds millions of young people to its workforce every year.

A hiring recovery that benefits only experienced professionals would therefore have limited impact on graduate employment.

The 15% increase in fresher recruitment suggests companies are again willing to build:

entry-level pipelines

and:

train new employees.

However, employers continue to place growing emphasis on job-ready skills.

Mid-Career Hiring Also Remains Strong

Professionals with:

four to seven years of experience

recorded hiring growth of:

10%.

This group often represents a critical talent pool for companies because employees typically have:

functional expertise,

managerial potential,

and practical execution experience

without commanding the compensation associated with very senior executives.

Demand for this experience band remained positive across August.

Eight-to-Twelve-Year Hiring Rises 16%

Recruitment for professionals with:

eight to 12 years of experience

increased:

16%.

This points to healthy demand for managers and experienced specialists.

Companies investing in new digital or operational programmes often need employees capable of independently leading projects and teams.

That can make mid-to-senior talent particularly valuable.

Hiring for 13-to-16-Year Professionals Grows 18%

The strongest experience-level growth was among professionals with:

13 to 16 years of experience.

Hiring in this category increased:

18% year-on-year.

This indicates demand for experienced leadership and domain expertise remains strong despite broader corporate efforts to control costs.

Companies may be willing to pay for senior talent when roles are closely linked to transformation, growth or specialised capabilities.

Very Senior Hiring Rises 13%

Hiring for professionals with more than:

16 years of experience

increased:

13%.

The positive growth suggests companies continue to recruit senior executives and technical specialists selectively.

Leadership recruitment can remain resilient even when volume hiring slows because organisations still need executives to manage:

business transformation,

AI adoption,

new markets,

and operational restructuring.

Hyderabad Leads Overall Metro Hiring

Hyderabad also recorded the strongest overall white-collar hiring growth among major metropolitan areas.

Hiring increased:

23% year-on-year.

The city's employment base benefits from continued investment by:

technology companies,

pharmaceutical businesses,

GCCs,

and global enterprises.

Its combination of talent availability and relatively competitive operating costs has made it one of India's fastest-growing corporate hubs.

Kolkata Hiring Rises 22%

Kolkata followed Hyderabad with:

22% growth.

The strong performance indicates white-collar employment gains are not limited to India's largest technology clusters.

Companies are increasingly using a broader range of cities for:

sales,

operations,

shared services,

and technology functions.

This can gradually distribute employment opportunities beyond traditional centres.

Chennai Hiring Increases 20%

Chennai recorded:

20% year-on-year hiring growth.

The city has strong exposure to:

automotive,

manufacturing,

IT services,

financial services,

and GCC operations.

The combination of industrial and technology sectors gives Chennai a diversified hiring base.

Its strong August performance was also reflected in rising AI and ML recruitment.

Bengaluru and Pune Rise 14%

Bengaluru and Pune each registered:

14% overall hiring growth.

Both cities are major technology and engineering centres.

Bengaluru remains central to:

startups,

global technology firms,

and enterprise software.

Pune has a strong mix of:

IT,

automotive,

engineering,

and shared-services operations.

Both continue to benefit from companies seeking specialised digital talent.

Delhi-NCR Hiring Grows 10%

Delhi-NCR recorded:

10% year-on-year hiring growth.

The region has a diverse corporate base covering:

technology,

consulting,

consumer goods,

real estate,

financial services,

telecommunications,

and professional services.

This economic diversity helps support recruitment across multiple occupational categories.

Mumbai Hiring Rises 7%

Mumbai's overall white-collar hiring increased:

7%.

While below the growth recorded in Hyderabad or Chennai, the city remains India's largest financial and corporate centre.

Strong AI hiring in Mumbai indicates that financial-services and large-enterprise demand for advanced technology skills is expanding even when overall recruitment growth is more moderate.

Emerging Cities Record Strong Hiring Growth

Hiring growth was also strong outside major metros.

Bhubaneswar recorded:

32% year-on-year growth.

Raipur increased:

23%.

Surat rose:

21%.

Ranchi recorded:

19%.

These numbers point toward a gradual geographic broadening of India's formal white-collar employment market.

Tier-2 Cities Are Becoming More Attractive

Companies increasingly consider smaller cities because they can offer:

lower operating costs,

lower employee attrition,

and access to regional talent.

Improved digital infrastructure and hybrid working models have also reduced the need for every role to be concentrated in Bengaluru, Mumbai or Delhi.

This can create new employment centres across India.

GCC Hiring Increases 10%

Global Capability Centres recorded:

10% year-on-year hiring growth.

GCCs are captive operations established by multinational companies to manage functions such as:

technology,

finance,

analytics,

product engineering,

cybersecurity,

and research.

India has become one of the world's largest GCC markets.

Their continued expansion is an important structural driver of high-value white-collar employment.

Southern Cities Drive GCC Recruitment

The JobSpeak report indicated that GCC hiring growth was particularly strong across southern cities.

Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai contain large concentrations of multinational technology and engineering centres.

Many GCCs are evolving from traditional back-office operations into:

product development,

AI,

data,

and strategic innovation hubs.

This change is increasing the complexity and value of jobs created by the sector.

AI Is Changing Rather Than Simply Reducing Hiring

Artificial intelligence is often discussed primarily as a threat to employment.

The August numbers show a more complicated picture.

AI can automate some routine work, reducing demand in certain categories.

At the same time, it creates new roles involving:

model development,

AI engineering,

data science,

governance,

and implementation.

Companies may therefore hire fewer people for some traditional tasks while paying more for specialised AI talent.

Skills Mix Is Becoming More Important Than Headcount

The emerging labour market increasingly rewards:

specialisation.

A company's total employee count may grow slowly while spending on certain skills rises rapidly.

This means headline hiring figures should be interpreted alongside the types of roles being created.

The 31% rise in AI/ML recruitment compared with 14% overall hiring illustrates this shift clearly.

AI Demand Is Spreading Beyond Technology Companies

One of the biggest employment changes is that AI is no longer only an IT-sector skill.

Banks need AI engineers for:

fraud detection

and:

risk modelling.

Retailers need them for:

recommendation systems

and:

demand forecasting.

Manufacturers need AI for:

quality inspection

and:

predictive maintenance.

Healthcare businesses need AI for:

diagnostics,

operations,

and clinical workflows.

This broadens the potential employer base for AI professionals.

Traditional IT Skills Remain Relevant

The rise of AI does not mean conventional technology roles disappear.

AI systems still depend on:

software engineering,

cloud infrastructure,

databases,

cybersecurity,

and networking.

Organisations also need employees capable of integrating new AI tools with existing systems.

The technology workforce is therefore evolving toward a combination of established IT skills and new AI expertise.

Companies Are Prioritising Productivity

Employers are becoming more selective about workforce growth.

Many companies are evaluating whether technology can increase the output of existing employees before adding headcount.

This creates pressure on job candidates to demonstrate:

technical capability,

domain expertise,

and measurable productivity.

The result is a labour market where high-demand skills can grow rapidly even while some broader employment categories remain subdued.

Freshers Need Greater AI and Digital Readiness

The 15% increase in fresher hiring is positive for graduates, but entry-level job requirements are changing.

Employers increasingly expect candidates to understand:

digital tools,

data,

automation,

and AI-assisted workflows.

Even employees who are not AI specialists may be expected to use AI tools productively.

Universities and training providers therefore face pressure to update curricula.

Employers Still Face Skills Gaps

Rapid AI adoption has created a mismatch between:

available workers

and:

required skills.

Companies may receive large numbers of applications but still struggle to recruit people with experience in:

generative AI,

machine learning engineering,

MLOps,

data engineering,

and AI governance.

This can result in simultaneous unemployment in some job categories and talent shortages in others.

Reskilling Becomes Strategic Priority

Companies can address skill shortages partly through external hiring.

But recruiting every capability from outside can become expensive.

Large employers are therefore also investing in:

internal reskilling.

Employees in software, analytics or business functions can be trained to use:

AI platforms,

automation tools,

and advanced data systems.

This can help companies transform their workforce without relying entirely on new hires.

JobSpeak Is an Indicator, Not a Census

The Naukri JobSpeak Index provides a useful view of white-collar hiring trends, but it should not be interpreted as a complete measure of India's employment market.

It reflects activity on:

Naukri.com's platform.

That gives it strong visibility into formal recruitment but does not capture every employment channel.

It is therefore best used as an indicator of direction rather than a comprehensive count of jobs created.

Different Employment Trackers Can Diverge

Other hiring indices may report different month-to-month patterns because they use:

different platforms,

industry classifications,

and methodologies.

One survey can show weakness in IT while another reports annual growth.

These outcomes are not necessarily contradictory.

They may reflect different time comparisons or segments of the employment market.

The most useful signal is often the broader trend across multiple indicators.

August Data Shows Broad-Based Annual Improvement

Despite those methodological limitations, the JobSpeak report indicates that the annual hiring improvement was relatively broad.

Growth appeared across:

IT,

automotive,

healthcare,

retail,

banking,

insurance,

FMCG,

and real estate.

It also extended across:

freshers,

mid-career employees,

and senior professionals.

That breadth is more encouraging than a recovery concentrated in only one or two industries.

Conclusion

India's white-collar hiring increased 14% year-on-year in August 2026, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index rising to 3,028 from 2,664 a year earlier, as employers increased recruitment across both technology and non-IT sectors.

The strongest structural signal came from artificial intelligence and machine-learning roles, where hiring surged 31%, substantially faster than the overall employment market. Hyderabad led AI recruitment growth at 48%, while Mumbai recorded 36% and Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune each posted 31% growth.

Hiring also strengthened across major industries, including automobile at 19%, healthcare at 16%, retail at 15%, insurance at 12% and IT at 11%.

Freshers were significant beneficiaries, with entry-level hiring rising 15%, while Global Capability Centre recruitment increased 10%.

The figures suggest India's white-collar employment market is continuing to expand, but the composition of demand is changing rapidly. Employers increasingly want professionals capable of working with AI, data, digital systems and specialised domain technologies rather than simply adding headcount across traditional roles.

The August report therefore points to a labour market where opportunities remain strong, but skills are becoming more important than ever in determining where the fastest job growth occurs.