92% Recruiters Predict Positive Hiring Climate In Next Six Months: Naukri.com Survey

The survey stated that business development, marketing, and operations roles will be the main roles recruiters will be looking for, and mid-experience professionals will be in high demand.

Recruiters project an optimistic hiring climate in the country in the latter half of 2023, a hiring outlook survey by Naukri.com revealed. The survey, conducted bi-annually, involved 1200 recruiters and recruitment consultants. 

The survey indicated that the majority of the respondents expect a positive hiring environment in the coming months, reported Financial Express. The survey stated that about 92 per cent of the recruiters surveyed predict hiring in the form of new positions, replacements, or a combination of both, taking place actively. 

Among the respondents, about 47 per cent predicted a mix of new hires and replacements, while 26 per cent expect only new hires to take place. Notably, 20 per cent of respondents mentioned that they would maintain the current workforce size, and a meager 4 per cent predicted firings or downsizing during the latter half of 2023. 

The survey stated that business development, marketing, and operations roles will be the main roles recruiters will be looking for. Further, it noted that mid-experience professionals are expected to stay in high demand, followed by a preference for entry-level employees.

Commenting on the survey findings, Naukri.com’s Chief Business Officer Pawan Goyal, said, “With 92% of recruiters anticipating heightened hiring activity and more than half expecting a return to normal hiring practices, the Hiring Outlook Survey paints a positive picture for white-collar hiring in the latter half of 2023.” 

The survey indicated that attrition rates are expected to stabilise in the short term, with almost 70 per cent of survey respondents agreeing that attrition will remain below 15 per cent over the July to December period in the year. A small number of respondents expect attrition rates to increase beyond 40 per cent. While the roles most vulnerable to attrition include marketing, operations, HR, and mid-level experience positions, the survey noted that these expectations indicate that employees will prefer to retain their current positions in the face of ongoing uncertainties in the job market. 

While the recruiters remained positive on the hiring landscape, the survey indicated that the same sentiment was not expressed about salary increments. About 42 per cent of the respondents stated that their employers provided them with less than 10 per cent increment during the latest appraisal period, while 31 per cent of respondents expressed that they received increments between 10 to 15 per cent. A nominal 6 per cent of respondents said that they received increments above 30 per cent. 

On the campus hiring front, the survey indicated mixed responses. While 39 per cent of respondents stated that campus hiring might be put on hold, about 36 per cent of individuals indicated that they predict campus hiring plans to go as initially thought out. About 11 per cent of respondents stated that they expect an increase in campus hiring over the coming months.