The growth of job postings has varied across job sectors, with some doing better and some yet to gain momentum year-on-year as of April 2021 compared to April 2020, according to Monster.com, a Quess Company.

The data indicates that the employment index saw a decline in job posting activity in April 2021 compared to the previous month, March 2021, by 3%. Overall job postings have declined by 4% year-on-year as of April 2021, compared to April 2020. The job postings for entry-level roles have declined by 5% month-on-month (April 2021 vs. March 2021). The decline in postings is due to the onset of the second wave of the pandemic leading to lockdowns.

Despite the decline in overall job postings, some industries continue to hold strong in some specific cities. Advertising, Market Research, Public Relations (PR) in Chennai and Hyderabad noted more than 50% year-on-year growth (April 2021 vs. April 2020). Banking/ Financial Services, Insurance in Kolkata saw a 26% growth month on month (April 2021 vs. March 2021) despite the overall growth in job postings remaining neutral for the location.

Hiring activity in Bangalore (28%), Hyderabad (23%), and Chennai (16%) indicate strong growth in job postings compared to the previous year (April 2021 vs. April 2020). There has been significant growth in the top management (36%), senior-level (10%), and intermediate level (13%) hiring year-on-year as of April 2021 compared to April 2020. The YOY numbers are still positive given that April 2020 also had Covid impact in the base.

Every month the Shipping/Marine industry continues to witness a 2% increase in job postings month on month (April 2021 vs. March 2021). However, job postings in Media & Entertainment remained neutral as of April 2021 compared to March 2021. Industries that exhibited the highest decline in job postings compared to the previous month (April 2021 vs. March 2021) include Engineering, Cement, Construction, Iron/ Steel (-15%), Retail (-14%), FMCG, Food & Packaged Food (-12%) and Logistic, Courier/ Freight/ Transportation (-12%).

A year-on-year comparison of the data shows some industries are doing better in April 2021 compared to April 2020. Agro-based Industries (20%), Chemicals/ Plastic/ Rubber, Paints, Fertilizer/ Pesticides (19%), and Printing/ Packaging (17%) have shown a significant increase as of April 2021 compared to April 2020.

Industries such as Logistic, Courier/ Freight/ Transportation (15%), Telecom/ISP (14%), Shipping/Marine (7%), and IT- Hardware, Software (6%) have indicated year on year growth in job postings (April 2021 vs. April 2020). However, given the inevitable and continued impact of the pandemic over the past year, industries such as Travel and Tourism (-52%), Education (-34%), and Engineering, Cement, Construction, Iron/ Steel (-26%) continue to exhibit a steep decline in job postings as of April 2021 compared to the previous year (April 2021 vs. April 2020).

Overall month-on-month growth in job postings for specific functions remains neutral or has declined as of April 2021 (April 2021 vs. March 2021). Job postings for functions such as Senior Management and Software, Hardware, Telecom remain neutral for April 2021 (April 2021 vs. Marc 2021). Job roles in Engineering /Production (-14%), Sales & Business Development (-9%), and Marketing & Communications (-8%) have witnessed a decline in job postings as of April 2021 compared to the previous month (April 2021 vs. March 2021).

With a year-on-year (April 2021 vs. April 2020) comparison, the functions of Software, Hardware, Telecom (17%) have witnessed significant growth in job postings. Arts/Creative function also saw a 3% growth compared to April 2020. However, the most impacted job functions compared to the previous year (April 2021 vs. April 2020) are Customer Service (-33%), Sales & Business Development (-21%), and Hospitality & Travel (-20%).

As of April 2021, month-on-month growth in job postings is witnessed across most job levels (April 2021 vs. March 2021), except for entry-level jobs that saw a dip in demand by -5%. Top Management professionals (4%), Senior Management professionals (2%), Mid-Senior professionals (2%), and Intermediate roles (1%) witnessed positive month-on-month growth (April 2021 vs. March 2021).

April 2021 data shows that job postings for greater than 15 years’ experience have grown significantly by 36% compared to last year (April 2021 vs. April 2020). Those for Senior Management professionals (11-15 years), Mid-Senior professionals (7-10 years), and Intermediate roles (4 – 6 years) have witnessed an increase of 10%, 13%, and 4% as of April 2021 compared to April 2020. However, job postings for entry-level profiles (0-3 years) have declined by 11% year on year (April 2021 vs. April 2020).

Sekhar Garisa, CEO - Monster.com said, “The second wave of the pandemic and various intensities of lockdowns across the country have impacted hiring activity. However, hiring activity in some cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai indicate a positive uptick, and year-on-year growth across certain sectors and functions have been witnessed. These are positive indicators that we are better equipped to face the impact this year compared to April 2020.”