The number of jobs in India’s information technology sector is expected to increase 6 percent in the current financial year, compared with last year, according to R. Chandrasekhar, president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), reports domain-b.com.

At present, the IT sector employs an estimated 3.1 million people and is India’s biggest provider of jobs. According to Nasscom’s Annual HR Survey 2014, the sector will add between 170,000 and 180,000 new jobs this year. Headcount growth is expected to be driven by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) with job growth of between 7 percent and 8 percent.

“The information technology and IT-related sector recorded growth of about 13.2 percent with total turnover of US$118 billion in 2013-14 and the sector is expected to grow at 13 percent to 15 percent in the current [financial year],” Chandrasekhar said.

Wages in the sector are expected to increase between 8 percent and 11 percent. According to the report, further growth of between 9 percent and 11 percent is expected in the next financial year.

Contract workers account for an estimated 4 percent of the total workforce, a figure which is expected to remain relatively static this year.