Women placement increased 6% point to 32% in last six years: Report

Over the past six years, women’s placements have increased by 6 percentage points, indicating a growing trend of more women entering the workforce, said a report by Careernet, a talent solutions provider. The report said that women placements have gone up from 26 per cent to 32 per cent over the last six years.

 

Notably, one in three candidates placed by Careernet is a woman, marking the highest representation in six years and a consistent trend over the last two years, said the firm.

 

The sectoral analysis suggests that BFSI global capability centres (GCCs) have been at the forefront of women’s hiring over the past three years—CY2022 (40%), CY2023 (43%), and CY2024 (44%)—while other domain GCCs have also shown a steady demand for female candidates.

 

Careernet’s annual report The State of Women's Employment in India delves into women’s placements over the years, cities that lead the way in female hiring, sectors with increased women participation, and hiring at different experience levels.

 

On the location-wise hiring, Bengaluru (32%), Delhi/NCR (28%), and Hyderabad (27%) emerged as the leading cities for female hiring in 2024. This marks a shift from the previous two years, where Hyderabad (34%), Pune (33%), Bengaluru (30%), and Chennai (30%) held the top positions.

 

However, Mumbai recorded the lowest percentage of female candidate placements among Tier-I cities in 2024 at 25 per cent. Delhi/NCR showed an upward trend, reaching 28 per cent in 2024, compared to 20 per cent in CY2023 and 22 per cent in CY2022.

 

On another note, the hiring of female candidates in Tier-II and other cities has witnessed a steady rise, with a 5 percentage points increase over the past three years. Industries, too, have played a critical role in shaping these hiring trends.

 

The IT services sector has maintained a stable participation rate of 29–30 per cent, reflecting sustained efforts towards gender diversity. The report indicates that startups have recorded a 9 percentage points increase in women’s hiring from CY2022 to CY2024. This demonstrates a proactive approach by the startup ecosystem towards building an inclusive work environment.

 

However, domestic enterprises experienced around a 5 percentage points decline in female hiring in CY2024 compared to the previous year, highlighting the need for renewed efforts in this segment.

 

The report also revealed that while freshers continue to dominate women’s hiring, there has been a slight dip of around 2 per cent from CY2023. The placement of women at mid-level positions, with work experience ranging from 3 to 12 years, has remained steady, hovering between 23 per cent and 27 per cent year-on-year.

 

At the senior level (12+ years of experience), hiring dipped by 1 per cent to reach 19 per cent in CY2024. However, the long-term trend remains promising, with a 2 percentage points increase from CY2022, indicating growing opportunities for women in leadership roles.

 

Neelabh Shukla, chief business officer of Careernet, said, “The evolving landscape of women’s employment in India reflects both progress and areas that require sustained efforts. The rise in women’s hiring across startups and Tier-II cities underscores a positive shift towards inclusivity.”

 

For this report, Careernet analysed 30,000 placement samples from each year between CY2019 and CY2024, drawn from Careernet’s overall placement data.