Online recruitment in India reported a 10% annual decline in November 2023, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker.

When looking at the month-over-month figures, e-recruitment saw a slight 2% dip in November.

The hiring index dropped to 249 in November 2023 from 277 in November 2022.

Despite this general downturn, certain sectors and cities exhibit resilience and growth, underscoring the dynamic nature of the market. 

According to foundit, the latest report shows a recent deceleration in hiring patterns. Over the past year, the hiring landscape has been following a three-month cyclical pattern of fluctuations. While this has injected uncertainty, it also indicates a potential recovery in the coming fiscal year. 

On an annual basis, online recruitment activity registered an increase in 9 of the 27 monitored industries. Shipping/Marine led industries in terms of growth with a 32% increase over the previous year. Retail also reported an increase of 30% followed by Travel and Tourism (21%).

On the other hand IT – Hardware, Software saw a fall of 16% over the previous year while BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) reported a decline of 10%.

In terms of job function, online hiring demand outperformed the year-ago level in 6 out of 13 functional areas monitored by the tracker. Hospitality and Travel reported an uptick of 20% annually while healthcare saw an increase of 4%.

Customer service suffered a decline of 26% over the year while the arts/creative function also recorded a decline of 3%.

Across cities, Chandigarh reported a 22% decrease over the previous year. Kochi recorded an increase of 9% over the year.

Meanwhile, across experience level, the demand for entry-level job seekers saw a decrease of 1% over the year. Hiring for associate roles with an experience of 4-6 years also saw a marginal decrease of 1%.

Online recruitment for mid-senior level roles with 7-10 years of experience fell by 7%. Senior-level roles with 11-15 years saw a 1% drop in hiring. At the same time, leadership roles with more than 16 years of experience recorded a decrease of 6%.