News South Asia

After almost two years, the Indian job market is showing signs of impro-vement as more than half of the companies surveyed said they are currently in hiring mode, according to search and selection specialist Antal Interna-tional.

There has been an ups- urge in the hiring activities as 52 per cent of companies are recruiting new staff at the moment, while 60 per cent are looking to do so in the near future.

“Faster economic growth, investor–friendly and a more focused government are seen as reasons behind this positive outcome,” the report said.

The survey further noted that not only hiring but firing rates have also increased considerably during the last three months.

The percentage of Ind-ian businesses shedding managers is 22 per cent and is likely to stay the same in the coming qua-rter, the 16th Antal Global Snapshot report said.

“Compared to our last hiring survey and what is being seen, there has been an upsurge is hiring activity at the managerial levels,” Antal International India MD Joseph Devasia said.

There is a more measured approach to recr-uitment from Indian businesses, as organisations look to develop the managerial and professional talent, the report said.

Sectors like e-comme-rce, real estate, consumer goods have repo-rted the highest percentage of current hiring as nearly all of those surveyed reported they were hiring.

Demand in these areas are expected to increase in the next quarter.

Other sectors that are faring well in terms of current hiring include healthcare, chemical, software and packaging, retail, which is currently hiring at 48 per cent and is expected to go up to 75 per cent in the next quarter.