White-collar hiring climbs 17% in Sept on festive demand, tier-2

INDIA'S WHITE-COLLAR JOB market grew 17% year-on-year and 4% month-on-month in September 2025, driven by festive season demand and continued market resilience, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker.

- MANU KAUSHIK

Tier-2 and tier-3 cities led the uptrend with a 21% increase in hiring activity, outpacing the 14% growth recorded in metros. The surge was supported by business expansion into emerging hubs, underpinned by demand in warehousing, customer support, and retail.

While festive hiring lifted the overall demand, structural demand continued in logistics & transportation, healthcare & pharma and IT, powered by digital transformation, supply chain ramp-ups,and innovation in AI and analytics.