STEM powers India's hiring surge: 23% YoY growth led by IT and Manufacturing

VMPL

New Delhi [India], September 4: foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), India's leading talent platform, published the foundit Insights Tracker (fit) for August 2025, revealing that India's job market is increasingly shaped by STEM-driven industries. The tracker recorded a 23% year-on-year increase in hiring growth, alongside a 3% rise month-on-month.

"The data reveals a fascinating split within STEM: IT and electronics are racing ahead while traditional engineering and healthcare show signs of slowing down. Yet even in this divergence, the resilience of STEM is clear -- these industries are not only creating jobs but also deepening leadership demand. When mid-senior and senior roles surge in parallel with IT and manufacturing growth, it signals that India's workforce is maturing beyond headcount to capability. This shift is setting the pace for the broader employment landscape," said Tarun Sharma, Chief Product and Technology Officer, foundit.

STEM at the Core of Hiring Growth

India's STEM employment base grew by 7.4% in the past year, rising from 6.8 million to 7.3 million jobs. While growth is steady, it is STEM's share of the overall workforce that reinforces its backbone role in the economy.

-IT - Software & Services leads with 35% of all STEM jobs

-BFSI and Manufacturing together account for nearly one-fifth of STEM employment, each posting strong annual gains

-Healthcare & Pharma and Construction & Engineering held steady at around 6% share each

-Automotive and Energy sectors expanded to about 5% share each, reflecting demand in EVs, renewables, and oil & gas

-Other industries such as Retail analytics, Telecom, Consumer Electronics, Logistics, Agriculture, Education, FMCG R&D, and Media/Entertainment together contributed around 15% of the STEM job base

STEM Jobs by Function

From a functional perspective, IT roles such as software development, AI, and data remain dominant, accounting for one-third of STEM demand.

-Engineering & Production roles grew from 18% to 20% YoY demand

-Customer Service within tech and BPO held steady at 11% share

-Sales & Business Development roles rose to 9% share, while Finance & Accounting and Medical roles remained stable at 7% each

-Marketing & Communications within STEM grew to 7% share, recording one of the strongest upticks in demand

Together, these shifts indicate that while IT and core engineering continue to lead, functions like sales, finance, and marketing are becoming increasingly integrated into the STEM hiring landscape.

Together, these functions show how STEM is diversifying: while IT and core engineering remain dominant, adjacencies like sales, finance, and marketing are increasingly integrated into the STEM hiring landscape.

Location Trends: Metros Hold, Tier-2 Rising

India's STEM job growth continues to be concentrated in metros, but tier-2 cities are steadily gaining share.

-Bengaluru remains the largest hub with 16% of STEM jobs, powered by IT, startups, and GCC expansion.

-Delhi NCR holds a 12% share, with strong BFSI, IT, and consulting demand.

-Hyderabad saw the sharpest rise, lifting its share from 8% to 9%, the fastest growth among metros.

-Mumbai maintained a 7% share, anchored by BFSI and pharmaceuticals.

-Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata together account for around 9% of STEM jobs, holding steady.

In Tier-2 cities, momentum is building:

-Ahmedabad rose to nearly 2% share of jobs, driven by pharma and manufacturing.

-Jaipur crossed 95,000 STEM jobs and a 1.3% share of jobs, with strong growth in IT services, startups, and BPO.

-Coimbatore, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Indore, and Kochi each added between 10,000-15,000 jobs, strengthening their positions in engineering, IT support, and emerging industries.

Collectively, Tier-2 cities now account for more than 20% of India's total STEM employment, underscoring their role as emerging talent hubs.

Job Share and Demand by Experience Level (YoY)

Freshers (0-3 years) continued to dominate hiring, accounting for 45% of STEM demand in August 2025, supported by sustained intake from IT services, GCCs, and startups.

-Mid-senior professionals (7-10 years) held a steady 15% share of STEM jobs by experience, while the number of jobs in this band grew by 7% year-on-year.

-Senior leadership roles (>15 years) increased their share from 6% to 7%, with jobs in this band rising by 25% year-on-year.

-Demand for professionals with 4-6 years and 11-15 years of experience dipped slightly, showing a cautious approach to mid-management hiring.

Location trends underline this divide: tier-2 cities reported a stronger focus on freshers, where 52% of STEM jobs were for the 0-3 years band, while metros skewed towards experienced professionals, with nearly one-third (33%) of roles targeted at those with more than 7 years of experience.

Overall Market Trends

Beyond STEM, the overall tracker reflected steady momentum:

-FMCG (+41%), Retail (+40%) and IT - Software & Services (+17%) were the fastest-growing industries.

-Healthcare & Pharma (-5% MoM), Printing & Packaging (-10% MoM), and Shipping & Maritime (-7% YoY) reported slowdowns.

-Mumbai (+26% YoY), Bengaluru (+19%), Pune (+18%), and Hyderabad (+18%) were the leading hiring hubs, with Coimbatore (+23%) and Ahmedabad (+22%) driving tier-2 momentum.

About foundit Insights Tracker

The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) is a comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity conducted by foundit. Based on a real-time review of millions of job listings from a wide range of online career platforms, the index offers a snapshot of online recruitment activities nationwide. Previously known as the Monster Employment Index, it provided a comprehensive perspective on hiring patterns based on industry, role, location, and experience. Now, in its new avatar, it delivers more detailed insights on recruitment trends, focusing on the demand for specific skills, available positions, and the salary ranges in the market.

Timeframe for the report

The timeframe for the fit data is May 2023 vs May 2024.

About foundit - APAC & Middle East

foundit, formerly Monster (APAC & ME) is a leading talent platform offering comprehensive employment solutions to recruiters and job seekers across APAC & ME. In addition to a powerful AI-powered job search, foundit offers e-learning, assessments, and services related to resume creation, interview preparation, and professional networking. Since its inception, the company has assisted over 90 million job seekers across 18 countries in upskilling and connecting them with the right job opportunities. foundit is now also the Official Talent Partner of the Badminton World Federation across 20 key world tour events.

Over the last two decades, the company has been a leader in the world of recruitment solutions and has recently launched a cutting-edge solution to give recruiters access to passive candidates in addition to active ones. With the use of advanced technology, foundit is seeking to efficiently bridge the talent gap across industry verticals, experience levels, and geographies. Today, foundit is committed to enabling and connecting the right talent with the right opportunities by harnessing the power of deep tech to sharpen hyper-personalised job searches and offer precision hiring. Additionally, foundit has been recognised as a Great Place To Work, reflecting its dedication to fostering a supportive and dynamic work culture.

To learn more about foundit in APAC & Gulf, visit: www.foundit.in | www.founditgulf.com | www.foundit.sg | www.foundit.my | www.foundit.com.ph | www.foundit.com.hk| www.foundit.id

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