Tier II, III Indian cities outshine metros with 21% hiring surge in September: Report
Hiring in Tier II and III cities grew 21% YoY, boosted by ecommerce warehousing, retail expansion, customer support hubs, and festive tourism.
India's smaller cities are driving the country's job market momentum, with Tier II and III locations recording a sharp 21% year-on-year (YoY) surge in hiring during September, surpassing growth in metro hubs, a report said.
According to the latest foundit Insights Tracker (fit), a monthly report by jobs and talent platform foundit, India's Tier II and III cities led the hiring surge in September, posting a 21% YoY growth.
Hiring in Tier II and III cities, such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Surat, Nagpur, and Chandigarh, grew 21% YoY, boosted by ecommerce warehousing, retail expansion, customer support hubs, and festive tourism.
At the same time, overall hiring activity remained strong, with the Tracker recording over 17% annual and 4% monthly growth, pointing to steady baseline hiring beyond festive demand, the report added.
"September's hiring momentum reflects a powerful combination of festive demand and the structural rise of Tier II and III cities as long-term talent hubs.
"While metro markets continue to deliver steady growth, non-metro regions are leading the charge. This shift highlights a decentralised, diverse, and resilient employment landscape, creating opportunities for job seekers and strategic advantages for employers nationwide," foundit VP, Marketing, Anupama Bhimrajka said.
The foundit Insights Tracker (formerly Monster Employment Index) is a report based on a comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity on foundit.in platform.
Further, the report revealed that the festive season has boosted hiring across consumer-facing sectors, with growth stronger than in 2024.
Hiring in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata grew 14% annually, driven by IT, BFSI, and media and entertainment, with strong demand for tech, finance, and marketing professionals, said the report.
Meanwhile, across functions, sales and marketing saw the sharpest yearly festive gains (5%), followed by customer support and operations (4%), it stated.
Creative and media roles also surged (4%) YoY on the back of campaigns and OTT activity, while technology and product roles held steady (3%).
Finance and accounting grew modestly, aligned with festive loan and credit activity, the report said.
Edited by Suman Singh