Hiring up marginally in September, but employers still wary

Hiring activities improved marginally in September, even as employers continued to remain cautious amid global economic uncertainty, according to two reports released today.

As per Naukri.com and Monster.com employment indices -- a monthly gauge of online job demand -- there was a marginal rise in hiring activities in September.

However, job portal Naukri.com said that some sectors like "ITeS and banking have started witnessing a dip in the index". On an annual basis, both the Naukri Job Speak Index and Monster Employment Index witnessed double-digit growth last month, compared to September, 2010.

"Corporate India is likely to see a deceleration in hiring activity in the coming months as both employers and employees adopt a 'wait and watch' approach amid a global economic slowdown and volatile markets," Info Edge CEO and MD Hitesh Oberoi said in a statement.

Naukri.com is a part of the Info Edge group.

Monster.com Managing Director (India/Middle East/South East Asia) Sanjay Modi said in a separate statement that its index saw a positive trend last month "as opportunities continue to exhibit double-digit annual growth"

In terms of sectors, Naukri.com pointed out that the telecom, insurance and BPO sectors witnessed a slump in monthly hiring activities. "The index for telecom and BPO sectors dipped by 9%, respectively, in September when compared to August, while hiring activity in the insurance sector saw a 11% dip during the same period," it added.

On the other hand, Monster.com data showed that the banking/financial services and insurance segments recorded strong annual growth and edged up month-on-month. Modi noted that sectors like banking, as well as related
occupations such as finance and accounts, saw a notable uptick in hiring activity, despite the uncertain global economic environment.