Mumbai: In a significant development, India’s white-collar job market recorded a 12 per cent year-on-year growth in February 2026, Naukri JobSpeak Index stated on Tuesday. The increase in jobs come amid increasing AI adoptions and a recovery in the IT sector.
As per the Naukri JobSpeak Index, white-collar job market recorded its highest February performance in recent years, reaching 3,233 points as compared to 2,890 points in February 2025.
The report based on Naukri JobSpeak Index stated that the month-on-month acceleration from January to February stood at 23 per cent, noticeably sharper than the 13-16 per cent range typically seen between the two months, PTI reported.
At a time when IT sector is getting hit due to AI fears, the reported mentioned that the IT sector recorded over 6 per cent year-on-year growth in hiring in February 2026. The sector recorded a growth of 8 per cent in regards to hiring of the freshers.
The report further stated that the multi-national IT companies operating from India, were the primary driver, recording a 55 per cent hiring surge.
AI & IT Sector: Key Drivers of India’s Hiring Boom
IT sector witnessed hiring increasing by 40 per cent in AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) area. Interestingly, the AI/ML roles continued with their strong trajectory, recording a growth of 49 per cent year-on-year.
The Naukri JobSpeak prepares the monthly index based upon the trends in India’s job market and hiring activity. It takes the data from Naukri.com’s resume database.
The report mentioned that freshers’ hiring recorded a growth of 17 per cent annually, while the demand for roles in the Rs 20 lakh-per-annum band rose 23 per cent.
Insurance sector recorded a 28 per cent growth in hiring, BPO/ITES posted growth of 22 per cent, real estate sector witnessed 19 per cent, hospitality/travel 15 per cent and retail segment 14 per cent. In February 2026, Indian MNCs expanded hiring by 24 per cent.
As per the report, Indian MNCs hired significantly people associated with AI/ML/. These companies increased AI/ML hiring by 82 per cent, compared to 43 per cent for foreign MNCs.
With PTI inputs
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