Online recruitment in India recorded a year-on-year decline of 15% in February 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic, according to data from Monster.com in India, a Quess Company.

The Monster Employment Index (MEI) decreased to 271 in February 2021 from 318 in February 2020.

Month-on-month, hiring activity picked up month-on-month to an increase of 6% in February 2020.

Online hiring demand in February 2021 exceeded February 2020 levels in two of the 27 Industries monitored by the Index.

Year-on-year, Agro Based Industries (+11%) and Telecom/ISP (internet service provider) (10%) showed a notable annual growth in e-recruitment activity. Rest of the monitored Industries showed a downward trend in online demand for hiring.

The industries that continued to decline in annual growth are Travel and Tourism (-62%), Education (-42%) and Oil/ Gas/ Petroleum (-37%).

Annual online demand for professionals reflected growth in 2 out of 13 functional areas as tracked by the Index.

Online demand for professionals in job-roles Software, Hardware, Telecom (+4%) and Arts/Creative (+1%) showcased an increase in online hiring activity between February 2020 and 2021. On the other hand, functional roles in Customer Service (-40%), Hospitality & Travel (-39%) and Healthcare (-30%), saw the sharpest annual dip.

Meanwhile, online hiring demand showed an upward trend in two out of the 13 cities from a year ago level. Recruitment activities showed an uptrend in Bangalore (+4%) while Hyderabad (0%) remained neutral in e-recruitment activity among cities monitored by the Index between February 2020 and 2021. All other cities witnessed a decline in hiring activity from the year-ago level: Pune (-7%), Chennai (-9%), Chandigarh (-11%), Delhi-NCR (-13%), Ahmedabad (-15%), Mumbai (-22%) and Kolkata (-32%).

By experience level, demand for entry-level job seekers with experience of 0-3 years decreased by 21%. Hiring for intermediate level roles with an experience of 4-6 years fell by 12%. Mid-senior level roles with 7-10 years of experience saw a decline of 5%. Hiring for senior level roles with 11-15 years of experience increased by 2% while top management level professionals recorded growth of 19%.