The hiring activity in India registered 38 per cent growth (year-on-year) in April and worst-hit sectors like travel and hospitality and retail owing to two years of the COVID-19 pandemic bounced back with over 100 per cent hiring activity, a new report showed on Friday. The education sector also grew at a phenomenal pace indicating a strong demand for talent.

Other sectors such as real estate, insurance, and banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) registered a significant jump in hiring activity in comparison to the last year, according to the 'Naukri JobSpeak Apr'22 Index’. Furthermore, industries like auto/auto ancillary, telecom/ISP and FMCG also observed a positive hiring growth.

Among metros, Mumbai (+63 per cent) registered the highest growth in demand for new talent across this month as compared to April 2021. Delhi (+47 per cent), Pune (+38 per cent), Kolkata (+38 per cent), Chennai (+34 per cent) and Hyderabad (+32m per cent) also remained positive.

In non-metros, a positive hiring sentiment is observed with Coimbatore leading the race once again by showing a strong growth trajectory at +63 per cent in April. Other cities such as Jaipur (+50 per cent), Vadodara (+32 per cent), Kochi (+24 per cent), and Ahmedabad (+22 per cent) also maintained positive hiring momentum, the report said.

Demand for professionals across all experience bands remained steady in April 2022, with freshers (0-3 years) witnessing the highest growth of +52 per cent compared to a year ago.

"The new financial year has witnessed a strong sentimental uplift when it comes to hiring activity across all parts of the country. The worst hit sector of Travel & Hospitality continues to recover registering the highest growth in the last one year growing by 169% over last year. These are good signs indicating that the nation is on the path to economic recovery," said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com.