NEW DELHI: The job market is changing channels, and media and entertainment has stolen the prime-time slot. India’s white-collar hiring maintained its upward trajectory in June 2026, with Media Production & Entertainment emerging as the fastest-growing sector, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak report. The industry recorded a 24 per cent year-on-year jump in recruitment, outpacing every other major employment segment
The Naukri JobSpeak Index climbed 6 per cent year-on-year to 3,027 in June from 2,854 a year earlier, helping the labour market close the first quarter of FY27 with overall hiring growth of 4 per cent
While media and entertainment led the charts, Healthcare & Life Sciences followed with 22 per cent growth, IT & Information Security rose 18 per cent, Production, Manufacturing & Engineering increased 14 per cent, and Marketing & Communications registered 12 per cent growth, signalling broad-based demand across industries
Technology hiring continued to be driven by specialist skills. Recruitment for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) roles surged 25 per cent year-on-year, extending a trend that has consistently outperformed the wider job market over the past two years as businesses deepen investments in advanced technologies
The report also highlighted renewed confidence in entry-level recruitment. Fresher hiring rose 8 per cent in June and 9 per cent during the April-June quarter, indicating employers continue to strengthen their junior talent pipelines despite an uncertain global hiring environment
Demand remained healthy across experience levels. Hiring for professionals with 4-7 years of experience grew 2 per cent, while recruitment for those with 8-12 years rose 7 per cent. The strongest gains came from senior talent, with hiring increasing 12 per cent for professionals with 13-16 years of experience and 9 per cent for candidates with over 16 years of experience
Among industries, Insurance posted 16 per cent growth, followed by FMCG at 7 per cent, Telecom at 6 per cent, Real Estate at 5 per cent, and both BPO/ITES and Pharma/Biotech at 4 per cent
Hiring momentum was visible across cities as well. Kolkata led major metros with 12 per cent growth, followed by Hyderabad (11 per cent), Chennai (10 per cent) and Bengaluru (7 per cent). Among non-metro locations, Bhubaneswar topped the list with 21 per cent growth, while Indore and Coimbatore recorded gains of 15 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively
Global Capability Centre (GCC) recruitment remained largely stable, slipping 1 per cent nationally. However, southern India continued to attract investment, with Chennai posting 19 per cent GCC hiring growth and Hyderabad recording 15 per cent
One of the report’s notable turnarounds came from the telecom sector, where hiring rebounded 6 per cent after a prolonged slowdown. The recovery was led by fresh graduates, with telecom fresher recruitment surging 25 per cent year-on-year
Not every sector shared the optimism. Banking hiring declined 12 per cent, Education fell 4 per cent, while IT and Hospitality each slipped 3 per cent. Recruitment across Oil & Gas, Retail and Automobiles remained largely unchanged
The latest figures suggest that while India’s hiring landscape continues to evolve, employers are increasingly investing in specialised digital skills, creative talent and early-career professionals, with media, AI and emerging technology roles driving much of the momentum
