White-collar jobs for women grow 35% YoY in February: Foundit data

IT and BPM sector tops in terms of scope at 36%, followed by computers & software (35%) and BFSI (22%)

The number of available jobs for women has surged 35 per cent year-on-year in February 2023, indicating a growing demand for female workers in the Indian white-collar economy, according to data released from employment website Foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME).

According to online hiring trends, the Information Technology and Business Process Management (BPM) sector holds the largest share of available opportunities for women at 36 per cent as a consequence of the growing focus on gender parity in the workplace. This is followed by IT/Computers-Software (35 per cent), and Banking, Accounting and Financial Services (22 per cent). There has also been a significant increase in job postings for women in sectors such as recruitment, staffing or HRO (20 per cent share) and hospital, healthcare and diagnostics (8 per cent).

Delhi NCR (21 per cent), Mumbai (15 per cent), Bengaluru (10 per cent), Chennai (9 per cent) and Pune (7 per cent) are the leading locations in terms of open job positions for women, Foundit said. Around six per cent of the total women talent on the platform are those who have taken a career break and returned to work. Moreover, freelance roles account for 4 per cent of the total jobs for women, indicating a rise in gig-based opportunities in the white-collar economy.

Sekhar Garisa, CEO, Foundit, said, "Female workers have shown themselves to be hard-working, creative, collaborative and highly competitive. Women leaders worldwide have made headlines for how well they managed to stay afloat in times of great crisis. But there is still work to be done and miles to walk. Companies need to innovate their work modes to ensure flexibility, actively work to foster an inclusive workplace, and ensure that diversity extends beyond their hiring pamphlet."

Across experience levels, women in leadership hold 8 per cent of the total share, a slight increase from 6 per cent last year. Women's participation remains highest for intermediate-level roles (24 per cent share for professionals with 3-5 years' experience), followed by freshers (18 per cent for professionals with 1-3 years' experience).

Foundit said organisations have realised that a diverse workforce boosts business performance while driving innovation and growth, enabling greater hiring for women in the technology sector.

The job roles with the most significant percentage of women are customer service, call centre and BPM at 25 per cent. IT roles hold the second largest share at 23 per cent, followed by HR roles (18 per cent) and Sales/ Business Development (12 per cent). Interestingly, jobs with people-centric roles have a higher demand for women professionals.