Mumbai: India’s smaller cities are emerging as key drivers of the country’s job market momentum, with tier II and III locations recording a sharp 21 percent year-on-year surge in hiring during September, surpassing growth in metro hubs, according to a report released on Monday.
The latest Foundit Insights Tracker (FIT), a monthly report by jobs and talent platform Foundit, reveals that India’s tier II and III cities led the hiring surge in September. Cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Surat, Nagpur, and Chandigarh posted a robust 21 percent year-on-year growth in hiring. This growth was fueled by expansions in e-commerce warehousing, retail, customer support hubs, and festive tourism.
Overall hiring activity remained strong as well, with the Tracker recording over 17 percent year-on-year and 4 percent month-on-month growth. This indicates steady baseline hiring beyond just festive season demand.
“September’s hiring momentum reflects a powerful combination of festive demand and the structural rise of tier II and III cities as long-term talent hubs,” said Anupama Bhimrajka, Vice President of Marketing at Foundit. “While metro markets continue to deliver steady growth, non-metro regions are leading the charge. This shift highlights a decentralized, diverse, and resilient employment landscape, creating opportunities for job seekers and strategic advantages for employers nationwide.”
The Foundit Insights Tracker, formerly known as the Monster Employment Index, is based on a comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity on the Foundit.in platform.
The report also highlighted that the festive season has boosted hiring across consumer-facing sectors, with growth stronger than in 2023. In metro regions including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata, hiring grew 14 percent year-on-year. This growth was primarily driven by sectors such as IT, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), and Media and Entertainment, with strong demand for technology, finance, and marketing professionals.
Across job functions, Sales and Marketing experienced the sharpest year-on-year festive gains at 5 percent, followed by Customer Support and Operations at 4 percent. Creative and Media roles also saw a 4 percent rise year-on-year, driven by campaign activity and the growth of OTT platforms. Technology and Product roles remained steady with 3 percent growth.
Finance and Accounting roles posted modest growth, reflecting increased loan and credit activity during the festive season.
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https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/indias-tier-ii-iii-cities-record-sharp-21-hiring-surge-surpassing-growth-in-metro-hubs
