Online recruitment in India reported a 3% decline in October 2023 compared to October 2022, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker.

The hiring index dropped to 253 in October 2023 from 262 in October 2022 .

When looking at the month-over-month figures, e-recruitment saw a slight 1% decline in October.

The tracker indicated a slowdown in online recruitment activity over the last three months. Foundit also noted that  several industries and functions are expected to rebound in the upcoming quarters in the face of uncertainty over the past year and a deceleration in hiring in recent months.

Online recruitment activity registered an increase in 12 out of the 27 industries.

By industry, the shipping/marine industry continued its upward hiring trend with 12% monthly and 44% annual growth, due to an increasing emphasis on digitisation, automation and sustainable practices.

Hiring in the travel and tourism industry also experienced robust growth, with 30% annual and 6% monthly growth. On the other hand, IT hardwareand software recorded an annual decline of 8%.

With the festive season approaching, the foundit Insights Tracker noted a 9% increase in retail hiring over the last three months and a 20% jump in job opportunities as compared to October 2022.

Online hiring demand outperformed the year-ago level in six out of 13 functional areas monitored by the tracker.

By function, hospitality and travel increased by 25% year-over-year. The HR and admin function also reported an increase of 16% over the year.

Customer service saw a decline of 22% over the year, the steepest decline among all reported functions. Arts/creative registered an 8% decrease.

While metropolitan cities outperformed tier-2 cities in month-on-month hiring, both groups experienced a decrease: metros (-1%) and tier-2 (-2%) cities.  

Hiring was flat for entry-level job seekers (0-3 years) over the month. It declined by 1% for job seekers with four to six years of experience. Meanwhile hiring for job seekers with seven to 10 years of experience was also flat at 0%. Job seekers with 11 to 15 years of experience saw a decrease of 2%. Month-on-month, leadership roles with experience of 16-plus years saw a 2% increase in hiring activity.