White-Collar Hiring Soars 13% in December, Logs Strongest Quarter of 2025: Naukri

• India's white-collar job market saw a 13% year-on-year rise in hiring activity in December 2025, reaching 3,001 points on the Naukri JobSpeak Index.
• The December quarter marked the strongest growth of 2025, driven by robust performance in non-tech sectors like Hospitality (+29%), Insurance (+34%), and Real Estate (+21%).
• Demand for AI/ML roles surged by 53%, while high-value IT and InfoSec positions (over Rs 20 lakh) increased by 42%, including strong growth in cybersecurity.
• Hiring for freshers grew 18%, and senior roles (over Rs 20 lakh) rose 27%, indicating broad recovery across all experience levels.
• Unicorns boosted hiring by 21%, with Southern metros like Chennai (+45%) and Hyderabad (+30%) leading the growth, particularly in internet and e-commerce.

Why It Matters: India's white-collar job market ended 2025 with strong growth, led by non-tech sectors and tech roles.