India’s staffing industry added approximately 235,000 temporary workers (white and grey collar roles) in the year to 30 September 2024, up 5.9% quarter-on-quarter and 17.9% year-on-year, reports The Economic Times, citing research by the Indian Staffing Federation (ISF)

Sectors including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), e-commerce, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, logistics, banking, energy and hospitality drove the growth, it said. As of September, the flexible workforce stands at 1.81 million employed by around 130 ISF members, the report noted.

“The upsurge in new employment growth in the flexi staffing industry, from 5.1% in Q1 of FY25 to 5.9% in Q2 of FY25, is indicative of a positive rise in new job opportunities,” ISF president Lohit Bhatia said. “This hiring surge in the market is going to stay and will further rise in the coming quarters in various sectors.”

The IT staffing industry recorded a 4.1% quarter-on-quarter increase in the July-September period, the highest in the past few years, the ISF added. Manmeet Singh, vice president of the ISF, said the IT industry has seen growth from from 1.4% in the first quarter of this financial year to 5.4% in the September quarter. “ITeS (IT enabled services), BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) and GCCs (global capability centres) were among the sectors that saw hiring of temporary workers during the quarter,” Singh said.