India's overall white-collar hiring dips 6 pc in May; diversity recruitment surges by 21 pc: Report
Mumbai: India's white-collar hiring activity moderated in May 2026, by declining 4 per cent year-on-year, despite a surge in diversity hiring, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The overall white-collar hiring dropped 6 per cent month-on-month, indicating continued employer caution amid evolving market conditions, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker (fit) report.
However, diversity hiring increased 21 per cent during the same period.
Also Read: Indian workers take less leave than APAC peers, says Report
Slowing recruitment across multiple sectors like import and export (-23 per cent), logistics and transportation (-18 per cent), retail (-8 per cent), and BFSI (-8 per cent) affected the year-on-year hiring trend, the report added.
Sectors like travel and tourism (26 per cent), automotive (12 per cent), healthcare and pharmaceuticals (11 per cent), and real estate (11 per cent) witnessed robust YoY hiring momentum in May.
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) report is a comprehensive monthly analysis of 7,39,188 online job posting activity conducted by foundit.in, a leading job search platform.
Also Read: AI to reshape hiring and work in India, but 'human ownership' key as confidence outpaces global peers: ACCA
According to the report, diversity hiring witnessed a double-digit growth in May, reflecting employer commitment to inclusive workforce strategies even as overall recruitment activity remained selective.
Women accounted for 56 per cent of all diversity-focused recruitment, while PwD (People with Disabilities) representation tripled over two years, growing to 12 per cent. At the same time, D&I (diversity and inclusion) hiring, which includes LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse talent, expanded to nearly a third of all diversity recruitments, the report added.
"While overall hiring has grown more selective, organisations continue to invest in talent areas that support long-term business resilience," foundit CEO Tarun Sinha said.
The sustained momentum in diversity hiring reflects a structural shift in how India Inc is approaching inclusion - less as a compliance requirement and more as a capability strategy, he stated.
"The expansion into leadership roles, technology functions, and previously underrepresented groups such as PwD signals a more integrated and mature approach to building future-ready workforces," Sinha added.
According to the report, the IT-Software and Services sector led diversity hiring at 25 per cent. LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse talent comprised up to 40 per cent of the total diversity hiring in the sector. The BFSI sector recorded the highest women representation at 62 per cent of its diversity hiring, followed by FMCG (61 per cent) and Healthcare (60 per cent).
PwD hiring was most concentrated in ITES/BPO (18 per cent), and manufacturing and automotive (16 per cent), while consulting and analytics expanded its diversity hiring share to 14 per cent.
The overall white-collar hiring dropped 6 per cent month-on-month, indicating continued employer caution amid evolving market conditions, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker (fit) report.
However, diversity hiring increased 21 per cent during the same period.
Also Read: Indian workers take less leave than APAC peers, says Report
Slowing recruitment across multiple sectors like import and export (-23 per cent), logistics and transportation (-18 per cent), retail (-8 per cent), and BFSI (-8 per cent) affected the year-on-year hiring trend, the report added.
Sectors like travel and tourism (26 per cent), automotive (12 per cent), healthcare and pharmaceuticals (11 per cent), and real estate (11 per cent) witnessed robust YoY hiring momentum in May.
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) report is a comprehensive monthly analysis of 7,39,188 online job posting activity conducted by foundit.in, a leading job search platform.
Also Read: AI to reshape hiring and work in India, but 'human ownership' key as confidence outpaces global peers: ACCA
According to the report, diversity hiring witnessed a double-digit growth in May, reflecting employer commitment to inclusive workforce strategies even as overall recruitment activity remained selective.
Women accounted for 56 per cent of all diversity-focused recruitment, while PwD (People with Disabilities) representation tripled over two years, growing to 12 per cent. At the same time, D&I (diversity and inclusion) hiring, which includes LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse talent, expanded to nearly a third of all diversity recruitments, the report added.
"While overall hiring has grown more selective, organisations continue to invest in talent areas that support long-term business resilience," foundit CEO Tarun Sinha said.
The sustained momentum in diversity hiring reflects a structural shift in how India Inc is approaching inclusion - less as a compliance requirement and more as a capability strategy, he stated.
"The expansion into leadership roles, technology functions, and previously underrepresented groups such as PwD signals a more integrated and mature approach to building future-ready workforces," Sinha added.
According to the report, the IT-Software and Services sector led diversity hiring at 25 per cent. LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse talent comprised up to 40 per cent of the total diversity hiring in the sector. The BFSI sector recorded the highest women representation at 62 per cent of its diversity hiring, followed by FMCG (61 per cent) and Healthcare (60 per cent).
PwD hiring was most concentrated in ITES/BPO (18 per cent), and manufacturing and automotive (16 per cent), while consulting and analytics expanded its diversity hiring share to 14 per cent.
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