Full-time jobs in India registered a 33% month-on-month decline in December, reports the Financial Express, citing data from Xpheno, a Bengaluru-based specialist staffing firm. This is the first time in three months that the active job count has dropped below the 200,000 mark (falling to 162,000 according to Xpheno); the lowest active jobs number was seen in June and July at 132,000 and 142,000, respectively. Kamal Karanth, co-founder, Xpheno, points out more enterprises have extended work-from-home and remote working for 2021 opening up room for employment opportunities. Companies are augmenting their seasonal workforce so as to better manage any business spikes. This is noticeable in the gradual upward movement in the part-time, contract and internship opportunity segments since August 2020. In December, the active openings for internships registered a 13% growth. “Since the festive hiring will continue for the next few weeks we can expect an increase in the number of short-term and temporary jobs,” Karanth said. Meanwhile, the extended work from home and remote working has been gradually moving jobs away from the metros and towards the tier 2 cities and towns.