foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), one of India’s leading talent platforms, today reported that the highest share of job postings for freshers was accounted for by the Recruitment/Staffing industry. Moreover, the demand for freshers has increased by 4% over the last six months.
Industry reports state that one in 10 graduates in India is unemployable due to a lack of industry-ready skills. Amidst current economic uncertainties and tech disruptions in the market, the need for freshers to upskill and tune their digital skills in line with the industry is more pertinent than ever.
Interestingly, an overwhelming majority of job postings for freshers across industries were for in-office roles (92%). While some industries continue to embrace remote and hybrid work models, there is a growing trend of more companies getting back to the office, embracing a pre-Covid normal. The remaining job postings were for hybrid (4.2% share) and work-from-home (3.8%) job roles.
Speaking on the need for skilling, Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME), said, “Improved initiatives for skill development in the educational system can close the employability gap in the Indian market. The L&D initiatives of India Inc. have also been crucial in bridging the skill gap among freshers. To provide career development support and offer skill-based certifications to entry-level professionals in India, we at foundit are launching the second edition of Aspire – our virtual career fair for freshers and young professionals from 31 May to 2 June 2023. The career fair will connect job seekers with top employers in India and bring together credentialed candidates for these employers.”
Aspire is a multi-faceted recruiting solutions platform by foundit in collaboration with Microsoft India for freshers and professionals with 0-2 years of work experience. It provides an opportunity for job seekers to interact with potential employers and explore opportunities across sectors such as IT, finance, marketing, human resources, and more.
foundit data reflects that Bengaluru (12.4% share) hosts the highest share of job postings for freshers, followed by Mumbai (12.1% share). Notably, fresher hiring was highest in metropolitan cities in India. Delhi/NCR (9% share), Pune (8% share), Chennai (7% share), and Hyderabad (7% share) were along among the top locations hiring freshers.
Salary trends for freshers as per foundit
| Location | Average Fresher Salary (LPA) |
| Bangalore | 5.06 |
| Delhi/NCR | 4.48 |
| Mumbai | 4.25 |
| Kolkata | 3.98 |
| Chennai | 4.43 |
| Pune | 4.02 |
| Coimbatore | 3.45 |
Across segments, the Recruitment/Staffing (22% share) industry held the highest demand share for entry-level professionals. Among the top 5 industries were also IT-Software, Software Services (19% share), BPO/ITES (10% share), Education (5% share), and Healthcare (4% share). Recruiters in Indian IT are particularly on the hunt for tech talent adept in skills related to cloud computing, data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. However, soft skills, communication, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking abilities are also considered important.
Indian IT hosts maximum demand for interns
As per Zuno by foundit, a platform for quality paid internships, nearly a third of the total internship opportunities on the platform are for roles in the IT-Software, Software Services (35% share) industry. Considering the constant need for upskilling in Indian IT, internships have proven to be a rewarding learning opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with industry-ready skills. Other industries with a large number of internship postings include Recruitment, Staffing (13% share), Retail (8% share), Advertising, MR, PR (7%) share), and BFSI (5% share).
Across locations, the highest demand for interns was reflected in Delhi/NCR (31% share). This was followed by Bengaluru (16% share), Mumbai (12% share), Pune (9% share), Hyderabad (8% share), and Chennai (7% share).
