Digital wave drives 20% YoY growth in India’s job market
The gig economy showed strong demand with over 50,000 openings in delivery and mobility sectors. Photo: Getty
Online job postings by Indian companies surged 20% year-over-year, crossing 12 lakh openings in 2024. This growth was primarily driven by increased digital adoption, small and medium business (SMB) sector expansion, and businesses venturing into Tier 2 and 3 cities, according to the ‘India at Work 2024’ report by Apna.com, an online job portal.
Enterprise hiring: breaking new records
The enterprise job market showed exceptional momentum, with Apna platform reporting a 32% increase in job postings, exceeding 3.5 lakh across all categories in over 500 cities. This growth reflects companies’ increasing embrace of digital hiring platforms, especially as they expand into smaller cities and new business verticals.
Beyond Metros: The Rise of Small-City Opportunities
A significant 45% of job postings originated from non-metro regions. Tier 2 cities like Jaipur, Lucknow, and Indore saw a 1.5x increase, while Tier 3 cities including Varanasi, Raipur, and Dehradun experienced a remarkable 3x jump. Leading sectors driving this growth included BFSI, Retail, Healthcare, IT-ES, Education, and Manufacturing.
Role-wise breakdown: what’s hot in hiring
The gig economy showed strong demand with over 50,000 openings in delivery and mobility sectors. Sales roles led with 44,000 postings, followed by customer support at 35,000. Specialized roles like HR (25,000), Digital Marketing (20,000), and Finance (18,000) reflected enterprises’ evolving talent needs.
SMB sector: the growth engine
India’s SMB sector posted 9 lakh job openings in 2024, marking a 20% increase from the previous year. This sector, comprising over 63 million enterprises, continues to be a crucial economic driver, contributing 30% to GDP. Notably, job postings for women increased by 60% year-on-year.
Tech-driven transformation: AI in recruitment
The adoption of AI-driven recruitment technologies has been a game-changer, with 45% of SMBs on the Apna platform incorporating AI into their hiring processes. This led to 2.4 lakh job postings, reducing talent search time by 30% and hiring costs by 25%. The platform attracted 6 crore job applications across 900 cities, demonstrating its extensive reach in Tier 2 and 3 regions.
