These 28 companies, from industries as diverse as automobiles, capital goods, cement, chemicals, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and textiles, saw their revenue grow 17.8 per cent a year during this period.
Their workforce increased from 188,702 in 2003-04 to 250,466 in 2012-13.
They simply added 61,000 jobs over the decade, of which more than half were in just two sectors, capital goods and textiles.
The companies chosen were industry leaders by revenue, provided they also put out employment figures in their annual reports.
If not, the company next in revenue made the list.
In some industries, the direct workforce has shrunk over the decade.
The top four fertiliser companies reduced their headcount by 315, as did the four biggest cement manufacturers.
Five chemicals companies added only 1,200 jobs.
Pharmaceuticals bucked this trend. Ranbaxy and Aurobindo Pharma together more than doubled their workforce from 9,397 in 2003-04 to 19,783 in 2012-13.
The textiles industry, despite all its problems, continued to create jobs at an annual rate of 4.5
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