Online hiring activity grows by 19% in December; 2015 forecast looks bullish

The domestic job market ended 2014 on a cheerful note as online hiring activity registered a growth of 19 per cent year-on-year and the outlook for 2015 looks bullish too, says a report.

Monster.com's employment index, a monthly gauge of the country's online job demand, jumped from 135 in December 2013 to 160 for the corresponding month last year, registering 19 per cent growth.

"Monster Employment Index has shown robust annual growth rates in the online employment sector for 2014. The positive year-on-year growth signifies that 2015 is expected to be a better year for job seekers and recruiters," Monster.com (India/Middle-East/South East Asia/Hong Kong) Managing Director Sanjay Modi said.

On a monthly basis as well, the index witnessed an increase after three consecutive months of stagnation in online hiring activity as December saw a growth of 16 points from 144 points in November.

"With the increased impetus of the government to make India job ready, the recruitment industry is surely expected to do better in 2015," Modi added.

Industry-wise, 16 of the 27 industry sectors monitored by the index registered positive growth. The home appliances (up 45 per cent) industry led all industry sectors by the way of long term growth even in December.

Online demand improved for all 13 occupation groups monitored by the index, while the demand for senior management professionals increased by 41 per cent in the month under review.

Marketing and communications was the second-rung as it registered 39 per cent growth in online demand year-on-year.

Citywise, online opportunities exceeded the year-ago level in 12 of the 13 cities monitored by the index even in December.

Baroda (up 32 per cent) saw the steepest growth in online recruitment activity from the year-ago period. The city also recorded the most notable month-on-month growth among all monitored cities, the report added.