72% of employers plan workforce expansion via new job creation: Report

India's white-collar job market is likely to witness a surge in the latter half of 2025, with nearly 72 per cent of employers interviewed planning workforce expansion through net new job creation, a report said on Friday.

According to Naukri's bi-annual 'Hiring Outlook' report, the white-collar job market is expected to maintain strong hiring momentum, with 94 per cent of employers planning to hire during the second half of the current fiscal.

The report is based on input from 1,300 employers across the sectors in India.

Among these employers, nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) indicated they expect new job creation, the report said.

Even as there is an ongoing buzz around job losses due to artificial intelligence (AI), 87 per cent of employers do not foresee any significant impact on overall employment.

Instead, it revealed that 13 per cent of them expect AI to act as a catalyst for job creation, particularly in emerging roles.

Sectors most likely to benefit include IT (42 per cent), Analytics (17 per cent), and Business Development (11 per cent), where employers anticipate a rise in new AI-driven opportunities, according to the report.

"It is encouraging to see that 72 per cent of employers are planning workforce expansion through net new job creation, rather than just replacement hiring. Equally noteworthy is that nearly 87 per cent of employers do not foresee significant job losses due to AI - a striking contrast to the global narrative around AI-led job cuts," Naukri Chief Business Officer Pawan Goyal said.

The report further revealed that the strong hiring sentiment is driven by demand for specialised technology roles, with 37 per cent of employers planning to hire for IT positions.

However, this demand is increasingly driven by emerging technologies rather than traditional IT functions, with companies specifically seeking professionals skilled in machine learning, data science, and AI-related technologies, as these capabilities become essential across industries, it added.

Meanwhile, the report found that mid-level professionals with 4-7 years of experience are in demand, with 47 per cent of employers planning to hire in this experience band.

Entry-level candidates (up to 3 years) account for 29 per cent of hiring intentions, it stated.

Only 17 per cent of employers plan to hire professionals with 8-12 years of experience, while just 3 per cent plan to hire those with 13-16 years of experience, the report added.