Hiring was strongest in education and training, healthcare services, retail, financial services and wellness.
India's employment market showed steady resilience in 2025 with over nine crore job applications received during the year, an estimated 29 per cent year-on-year increase while employers posted 14 lakh jobs, marking a 15 per cent year-on-year increase, said a recent report.
As per Apna.co's India at Work 2025 report, the job applications were driven by higher participation from women and early-career professionals as service-led hiring expanded beyond metros and digital recruitment tools became mainstream.
'Women contributed over 3.8 crore applications, registering a 36 per cent year-on-year increase, while fresher application volumes crossed 2.2 crore, growing 10 per cent YoY, reflecting sustained demand for formal, entry-level service roles,' the report further said.
Among women applicants, tier 1 cities accounted for roughly two crore applications, while tier 2 and tier 3 cities contributed around 1.8 crore, reflecting nearly 30 per cent growth in emerging markets.
Median salaries for women rose by an estimated 22 per cent, aligned with higher entry into finance, administrative and customer experience roles, the report said.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey also showed continued improvement in women's labour force participation as more women transitioned into roles with structured career pathways.
In terms of job postings, the report said, small and medium businesses recorded 10 lakh job postings in 2025, up an estimated 11 per cent from the previous year.
Hiring was strongest in education and training, healthcare services, retail, financial services and wellness.
Cities such as Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore, Surat and Chandigarh saw notable increases as local enterprises formalised operations and scaled service delivery, it said.
In terms of Artificial Intelligence penetration, the report said there were over 73 lakh AI interview sessions with over 1.9 crore AI interview minutes recorded in the said period.
Nearly four years of recruiter calling time was saved as a result of AI adoption in hiring workflows.
