White collar hiring in India grew 6 per cent in the festive season (October and November), driven by strong growths in key non-IT sectors, a report showed on Tuesday.

The sectors like Oil and Gas (+16 per cent), Pharma/Biotech (+7 per cent), FMCG (+7 per cent), and real estate (+10 per cent), alongside sustained momentum in emerging domains like AI/ML (+30 per cent) and global capability centres (+11 per cent), according to Naukri JobSpeak Index.

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While the IT sector has historically been a dominant force in fresher hiring, the current trend shows a significant upsurge in fresher recruitment across non-IT domains.

“The combined October and November trends reflect good resilience. Additionally, the rise in non-IT fresher hiring is a good development with respect to the younger talent,” said Dr Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer of Naukri.com.

While the broader IT sector contracted, the landscape of artificial intelligence and machine learning painted a different picture.

This field experienced a significant 20 per cent YoY growth, being particularly pronounced in cities like Kolkata and Delhi NCR, which witnessed a staggering 58 per cent and 47 per cent increase, respectively.

“GCCs are no longer mere back-office operations. They are evolving into strategic innovation hubs, driving business growth,” said the report.

This transformation is evident in the 62 per cent YoY growth of GCCs in strategy and management consulting, highlighting their steady shift from operational support to strategic advisory roles.

Emerging cities like Ahmedabad (+17 per cent), Kolkata (+16 per cent), and Hyderabad (+11 per cent) are emerging as key players in this evolution.

These cities, with their burgeoning talent pools, are attracting investments and driving growth in sectors like semiconductors/electronics (+17 per cent) and accounting/finance (+25 per cent).

With an impressive 18 per cent growth in beauty and personal care and 17 per cent in fitness and wellness, the industry is witnessing a surge that reflects more than just market dynamics, said the report.