Corporate India is bullish about its hiring plans in the July-September period this year, with companies looking beyond metros to smaller cities in its search for talent, a report by staffing firm TeamLease said.
According to the study, the hiring sentiment is at an 18-month high for the current July-September quarter.
TeamLease's net employment outlook index saw a 6 per cent jump to 64 index points for the reviewed three-month period over the previous quarter.
"We are seeing positive hiring intentions over the past few months, and are expecting this to continue. There is also a gradual increase in the intent to hire from Tier II cities, which shows that companies are looking well beyond urban markets for tapping talent," TeamLease Services VP Sangeeta Lala said.
Tier-II cities saw a significant rise in hiring intent to 19 index points, an all-time high, indicative of the talent supply potential of these geographies, the report said.
"This is also an indicator of consistent and steady growth across business size, sectors and geographies. The opportunities in Tier II cities are encouraging and might be an answer to the geographic mismatch present in the country," Lala added.
Sector-wise, the increase in the employment index was led by infrastructure (with 57 points), manufacturing & engineering (with 66 points) and telecom (with 59 points). Hiring intent in the telecom sector saw healthy growth for the reviewed quarter after three stagnant ones, the report said.
The Employment Outlook index witnessed growth in most of the cities across the country. New Delhi topped the hiring intentions chart with 62 points, followed by Ahmedabad (68 points) and Mumbai (63 points), recording the smartest recovery and growth over the previous quarters.
However, recruitment in Kolkata is forecast to remain relatively poor. Besides this, the Business Outlook Index also rose by 5 per cent to 61 index points, but doubled itself over the course of four quarters.
The study, which covered 568 companies in the latest round, focuses on employment growth potential, business outlook and hiring forecasts with relation to location and company profile.
