India’s employment outlook remains upbeat heading into Q3 of FY2025, with hiring sentiment showing resilience across sectors. Energy & Utilities is leading the charge, reflecting a confident pivot toward green growth and infrastructure build-up.

Despite a marginal dip of just 1 percentage point from last quarter, the Net Employment Outlook (NEO) for India stands tall at 42%, putting the country at the second-highest globally, according to the latest ManpowerGroup report. The survey, covering over 3,100 Indian employers, paints a mostly optimistic picture — and there’s plenty happening behind those numbers.

Energy & Utilities Takes the Crown

The Energy & Utilities sector isn’t just having a moment — it’s making history.

NEO for this sector hit 50%, a staggering leap of 18 points both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. That’s the highest outlook since 2023 and the clearest sign yet that India’s push for clean energy, coupled with policy muscle, is turning into actual hiring momentum.

Employers here are more confident than their global peers too. India’s Energy & Utilities NEO beats the global sector average by 36 percentage points. That’s a massive gap.

There’s a reason: national projects like green hydrogen, solar energy corridors, and transmission upgrades are hitting execution stages. And people are being hired to get the job done.

Hiring Heat Remains Across Key Sectors

IT and manufacturing aren’t far behind. Their NEOs are strong and stable — and the numbers show it.

Information Technology: 46%
Industrials & Materials: 45%
Company Expansion: Top driver for hiring at 44%
Economic Uncertainty: Main drag behind staff cuts at 38%

That balance — between optimism and caution — defines the current climate. Tech firms still need skilled coders, AI specialists, and cybersecurity hands. Meanwhile, factories are staffing up to match production runs and meet export orders.

What stands out is how India’s labor market is leaning into transformation, not shrinking from it.

North India Tops the Hiring Charts

Geographically, hiring intent is strongest in the North. Whether it’s Noida tech parks or Punjab’s manufacturing clusters, employers there are looking to grow.

Here’s how the regions stack up:

Region	NEO (%)
North	46
East	44
West	41
South	36

Large companies (with 1,000–4,999 staff) are the most bullish, posting a hiring intent of 52%. They’ve got the budgets and plans — and are clearly building for scale.

That makes sense. Larger firms often lead cycles of recovery, innovation, and export readiness.

Long-Term Shifts Are Quietly Reshaping HR Playbooks

It’s not just about headcounts. The survey uncovers deeper changes that are quietly redrawing how employers think about workforces.

Two big themes stood out loud and clear:

Aging workforce is shifting priorities.
- 67% of Indian employers say it’s reshaping their HR plans.
- In IT, that number climbs to 73%. For Energy & Utilities, 72%.
Global trade uncertainty is influencing hiring decisions.
- 90% of companies say it’s a factor.
- Among Energy & Utilities firms? An eye-watering 94%.

And this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Companies are responding in real-time, and here’s how:

82% are boosting investment in automation
85% of those already under pressure from aging staff and trade flux are leaning even harder into tech

Green Growth, Digital Push, and the Hiring Puzzle

India’s employment outlook is getting shaped by three words: sustainability, digitalisation, and adaptation.

That might sound buzzy, but it’s translating into actual decisions — hiring data backs it up. Sectors that align with net-zero goals or global tech stacks are seeing the most robust activity.

The numbers don’t lie:

54% of employers say they plan to hire more people in Q3.
32% expect things to stay flat.
Only 12% are looking at reductions.

It’s a bullish sign — especially when paired with hiring surges in green energy and tech. While global markets remain jittery, India seems to be quietly threading the needle between growth and caution.

That said, not everyone’s hiring — and not all sectors are soaring. The 1-point dip in overall NEO suggests some fatigue or uncertainty is creeping in, especially with global elections, trade friction, and inflationary aftershocks still looming.

But overall? India’s job market looks like it’s still got fuel in the tank.