Employers in India most bullish globally

New Delhi: Corporate India’s hiring sentiment for the next three months is one of the highest across the world, with 37 per cent of employers planning to increase their staff strength amid buoyant domestic demand conditions, says a survey.

According to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey of nearly 3,100 employers across sectors and regions, the Net Employment Outlook (NEO) in India is the highest amongst 41 countries. The outlook for January-March 2024, calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions to staffing levels from those who plan to hire, stood at 37 per cent, up 5 per cent from the corresponding period of 2023, and same when compared with the last quarter. “Domestic demand remains buoyant, and private investments continue to flow in making India a lucrative economy. With stability in the political arena, progressive India is not a dream but a reality,” Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup India and Middle East, said. As per the survey, India and the Netherlands reported the strongest net employment outlooks at 37 per cent, followed by Costa Rica and the US at 35 per cent in second place, and Mexico at the third position with 34 per cent of the net employment outlook.

The global average stood at 26 per cent. Businesses in the Financial and Real Estate industry reported the brightest outlook followed by Information Technology and Consumer Goods and Services. Financials and Real Estate reported the strongest outlook of 45 per cent followed by Information Technology (44 per cent) and Consumer Goods and Services (42 per cent). The least optimistic prospects were witnessed in the Energy and Utilities (28 per cent) for the first quarter, the survey said. In terms of region, the western region of India dominated the job demand with an outlook of 39 per cent followed by the north (38 per cent) while the weakest hiring intentions were reported in the eastern region.