Starting off 2011 on a positive note, job opportunities in the country improved across most sectors in January and hiring activities are expected to gain momentum in the coming months.
Leading job portals Monster.com and Naukri.com in separate reports released today said that hiring activities picked up in January. The Monster Employment Index, a monthly gauge of Indian online job demand, climbed to 113 in January this year, a growth of 27 per cent as compared to the year-ago period.
Reflecting the buoyancy in the labour market, Naukri.com's Job Speak index went up 969 in January from 808 in the same period a year ago. Monster.com's Managing Director (India/ Middle East/South East Asia) Sanjay Modi said in a statement that its index indicates a strong recruitment start in 2011, as online demand hit a new high in January.
"With the beginning of the new year, the employment marketplace seems to be moving in a positive direction. The hiring momentum is expected to move at a faster pace in most of the key industry sectors...," Info Edge India's CEO and MD Hitesh Oberoi said in a separate statement.
Naukri.com is part of Info Edge. According to Monster.com, travel and tourism industry saw 56 per cent growth from January 2010 to January 2011.
"Retail sector with 55 per cent yearly growth was second in the list. Education led all industry sectors in month-on-month growth (seven per cent). The government/PSU/ defence sector followed closely with a six per cent monthly growth," the job portal noted. Meanwhile, Naukri.com said that all top industry sectors registered positive monthly growth in January as compared to December.
Both, IT and ITES sector witnessed strong hiring trends this month with the index moving up by 11 per cent and six per cent last month as compared to December, it added.