TeamLease EdTech’s ‘Career Outlook Report HY2 (July – December 2024)’ addresses the current job market for freshers in India. Despite increasing concerns about joblessness and unemployability among new graduates, the findings, based on a survey of over 603 companies across India, indicate a positive trend in the job market for new graduates. This report aims to close the gap between freshers and the job market by highlighting significant job roles, in-demand skills, and educational courses that enhance employability.
From July to December 2024, the hiring intent for freshers has shown a promising increase to 72%, up from 68% in the year’s first half. This surge reflects a growing confidence among employers in the potential of fresh talent to contribute effectively to their organizations. The report identifies top job roles in high demand, such as Full Stack Developer, SEO Executive, Digital Sales Associate, and UI/UX Designer. These roles indicate the evolving needs of the industry, particularly in the technology and digital sectors.
As hiring Intent for freshers marginally improved to 72% for the current half-year (July-December 2024) — a 4% increase over the January-June 2024 half-year, the study aims to assist freshers in combating the challenges of new corporate India. This report is intended to guide freshers and provide information on what to expect from a job search perspective. It highlights the job roles in demand and the essential skills (core and associated) required. The report also underscores the top skill-enhancing courses that can act as employability boosters for these roles.
The research aims to provide market information to help freshers become acquainted with current market trends. This will equip them with the necessary skills to find meaningful employment. It will also assist higher education schools in better understanding industry requirements and modifying their curriculum accordingly.
Hiring Intent for freshers during July-December, 2024
Employers’ Intent to hire freshers
72% of employers surveyed across India intend to hire freshers during July-December 2024.
Job roles and skills in demand for freshers during July-December 2024
Top job roles in demand
Developer, SEO Executive and Digital Sales Associate.
Top domain skills in demand
Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics, and Search Engine Optimization.
Top soft skills in demand
The top soft skills employers expect freshers to possess are: Communication, Negotiation, Project Management and Teamwork.
In-Demand courses
In-demand courses that freshers can undertake to increase their employability: Certification in Financial Planning, Graphic Design, Digital Marketing and Data Science.
Hiring sentiment across industries and cities
(Percentages represent the proportion of employers within the respective industry/city)
Top 3 industries that intend to hire freshers during July-December, 2024
E-commerce & Technology Start-ups: 61%
Engineering & Infrastructure: 59%
Retail: 54%
Top 3 cities that intend to hire freshers during July-December, 2024
Bangalore: 74%
Mumbai: 60%
Chennai: 54%
Degree Apprenticeship hiring sentiment across industries
and cities
and cities
(Percentages represent the proportion of employers within the respective industry/city)
Top 3 industries that intend to hire degree apprentices during July-December, 2024
Manufacturing 25%
Engineering & Infrastructure: 19%
Construction & Real Estate: 11%
Top 3 cities that intend to hire degree apprentices during July-December, 2024
Bangalore: 25%
Chennai: 21%
Mumbai: 16%
Role of Corporates in Shaping Higher Education
- Employers suggest enhancing curricula with experiential learning (70%), industry-academia partnerships (62%), and the addition of emerging industry skills to the curriculum (58%) to better align academic training with industry needs.
- Aligning educational programmes with industry needs boosts business productivity (81%) and graduate employability (78%), preparing a skilled workforce for modern job market challenges
Commenting on the recently released report, Shantanu Rooj, Founder and CEO of TeamLease EdTech, said:
The increase in hiring Intent for freshers is an encouraging sign. It reflects growing confidence among employers and presents valuable opportunities for fresh talent entering the workforce. Aligning educational programs with industry requirements is crucial. The job market is evolving rapidly, with technology and digital skills taking centre stage. We’re seeing an apparent demand for roles that blend technical expertise with creative problem-solving. The real game-changer is the growing recognition of the need for stronger industry-academia partnerships. The steady demand for degree apprenticeships further underscores this shift towards practical, hands-on learning. It’s an exciting time for both freshers and employers as we bridge the gap between education and industry requirements.
Jaideep Kewalramani, Head of Employability Business and COO, TeamLease EdTech, added:
The 7% rise in fresher hiring Intent compared to July-December 2023, coupled with growing demand across diverse sectors, signals a robust job market recovery. For graduates, focusing on in-demand digital skills and embracing varied learning experiences can significantly boost their career prospects in this evolving landscape.
Research Methodology
A Primary survey was conducted between April and June 2024 to estimate the Intent to hire freshers, with a total sample size of 603 Corporations.
About TeamLease EdTech
TeamLease EdTech is India’s leading Learning and Employability solution company. The platform helps universities launch, run, and manage their own Online/ODL programmes, improve the employability of their students through apprenticeship programmes, and help employers build talent supply chains while improving employee productivity. It has exclusive partnerships with 50 of India’s largest universities across 16 Indian states, trains 5.5 Lakh students on its platform through 9 Indian languages, works with 900 corporates in their upskilling/skilling initiatives and manages over 200 degree, diploma, and certificate programmes.
