Recruiters in India predict hiring activity will bounce back this year, according to a survey from Naukri.

Naukri’s Hiring Outlook Survey showed that 26% of recruiters predict hiring bouncing back to pre-Covid levels within the next three-six months, while 34% said that it would take their organisations six months to one year.

The survey showed that in 2020, while industries such as medical/healthcare, IT, BPO/ITES (business process outsourcing/IT enabled services) were less impacted, a few such as retail, hospitality, and travel struggled to cope.

According to Naukri, the country’s job market began on a positive note in 2020 with increasing job postings in the initial months of the year at a year-on-year comparison. The increase in hiring was steady until the pandemic hit the hiring market.

In April and May, hiring declined 60% year-over-year, the lowest ever seen on the platform, Naukri.com said.

The job market steadily began to recover from June onwards though the market is still down by 28% year-over-year as per the Naukri JobSpeak index for November.

Naukri also looked ahead to what the job market may look like this year. Among the notable trends that will become key in the Indian job market in the coming year include: the hybrid working model, upskilling to stay relevant for career progression, remote hiring being the new norm, some sectors experiencing a comeback in hiring including the Hospitality/travel, retail and education sectors and an increase in popularity for freelance and part-time roles.