India, 05 January 2026: As 2025 attracts to a detailed, India’s white-collar job market delivered a powerful end, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index reaching 3,001 factors in December—a 13% YOY enhance from 2,651 factors in December 2024. This efficiency helped elevate the October-November-December quarter to a 9% YOY achieve, the very best quarterly development of the yr and a constructive harbinger for 2026.
The month’s momentum stemmed from sectors like Hospitality (+29%), Insurance coverage (+34%), and Actual Property (+21%), alongside sustained demand in AI/ML (+53%). More energizing hiring rose 18%, whereas roles commanding over 20 LPA grew 27%.
Service-led Sectors Ramped Up Hiring: BPO/ITES, Hospitality, and Insurance coverage
BPO/ITES, Hospitality, and Insurance coverage confirmed parallel acceleration in hiring via 2025, shifting from single-digit positive factors—or perhaps a dip for BPO—within the first quarter of the calendar yr (-3%, 8%, and 4% respectively in JFM) to robust double-digit development by the yr’s shut (20%, 25%, and 19% in OND).
In December, key non-metros like Jaipur (+94%) and Ahmedabad (+73%) fueled BPO/ITES development, whereas metros equivalent to Mumbai (+28%) and Delhi NCR (+25%) propelled Hospitality; Hyderabad stood out for Insurance coverage with a +49% surge.
Demand Surged for CyberSecurity Specialists in Excessive Worth Roles
Excessive-value positions (20+LPA) within the IT & InfoSec division posted a +42% YOY development. Cybersecurity roles like Software Safety Engineer (+52%), Supervisor Data Safety (+50%), System Safety Engineer (+48%), Safety Architect/Advisor (+43%), and Safety Administrator (+37%) stood out.
Freshers Continued to Achieve Floor in Core Non-IT Sectors
Entry-level hiring ended the yr up 18%, with non-tech sectors offering the majority of recent positions. Hospitality and Insurance coverage every noticed 56% development in brisker roles, adopted by BPO/ITES at 44% and Actual Property at 43%, persevering with a sample of broadening avenues for younger professionals that strengthened via 2025.
More energizing hiring was additionally majorly pushed by non-metro cities like Kochi (+27%), Coimbatore (+23%), Ahmedabad (+21%), and Jaipur (+21%) in December.
Unicorns Hiring Surged majorly in Southern Metros
Unicorn hiring surged 21% YOY in December, with southern metros like Chennai (45%) and Hyderabad (30%) main the cost. This development was majorly pushed by Web & E-commerce unicorns that witnessed a powerful +22% YOY development.
Dr. Pawan Goyal, Chief Enterprise Officer, Naukri, mentioned, “The constant energy in non-tech sectors all year long—culminating within the strongest quarter at 9% in OND—exhibits this shift is now nicely entrenched. Equally heartening is how these identical sectors have steadily opened extra entry-level alternatives, giving freshers a broader set of choices as we step into 2026.”