Demand for talent in India decreased by 1% in February 2015, compared with the previous month, due to sluggish hiring momentum across key sectors; including IT/Telecoms, healthcare and Logistics & Warehousing, according to the latest figures from Indian job board TimesJobs.com.

The decrease follows a month-on-month rise of 11% in January. January marked the first time since 2012 the online hiring increased for three consecutive months.

Particularly notable was the upswing in hiring in Northeast India during February; with the Automobile, IT Software, Consumer Durables, Fast-Moving-Consumer-Goods (FMCG), and Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI) sectors driving jobs growth.

Vivek Madhukar, COO of TimesJobs, commented: “The Prime Minister’s focus on the region; coupled with improving interstate infrastructure, and telecommunications providing a strong impetus to economic development and job growth in the Northeast. With a young and ambitious, well-educated population it is quite possible that the Northeast is going to be the new ITeS & BPO hub of India.”