Companies in India are going ahead with their hiring plans for the July-September quarter despite macroeconomic headwinds from high inflation, rising cost of money and ongoing geopolitical tensions, reports The Economic Times, citing exclusive research from Teamlease. Hiring intent for companies has hit a 27-month high, the highest since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, The research, based on a survey which covered nearly 900 small, medium and large companies across 23 sectors and 14 cities, showed that more than 61% companies intend to hire for white-collar and blue-collar roles in the quarter, compared to 38% a year ago. The hiring intent is up 7% from the previous quarter. Company executives and economists said positive near-term indicators such as increased mobility, pent-up demand and rise in consumption in certain sectors are prompting companies to plan for manpower needs for future growth.

Talent demand-supply mismatch and high levels of attritions in certain sectors are also prompting companies to keep the hiring funnel strong, they said. "The hiring momentum among Indian corporations continues to be positive as companies maintain a pleasantly warm outlook on jobs," said Rituparna Chakraborty, executive director at staffing firm Teamlease Services. “The second quarter of the financial year also coincides with the festive season, starting from August, which will also lead to a lot of festive demand for talent, especially in the blue-collar segment.” she said. Metro and tier-1 cities lead the hiring spree, with the highest intent to hire of 89%. IT leads the sectors in the hiring intent, with 98% companies planning to hire.