Hiring Demand for Freshers, Young Professionals to Surge First Half of 2025: Report

The demand for freshers and professionals with up to five years of experience is set to increase in the first six months of 2025, according to the latest Career Outlook Report by TeamLease EdTech. The report highlights a positive hiring trend across multiple industries, driven by rising project demands and technological advancements.

Out of 649 surveyed companies, 74% expressed their intent to hire freshers between January and June 2025, marking a 2% increase from the July-December 2024 period. The hiring demand for professionals with one to five years of experience also rose from 66% to 69% during the same period.

Several industries are expected to witness strong recruitment activity for fresh graduates. The e-commerce and technology startup sector is projected to see a 9% rise in fresher hiring in the first half of 2025 compared to the latter half of 2024. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector is set to experience a 14% increase, while the engineering and infrastructure industry will see a 3% jump.

The IT sector, in particular, has shown significant recovery, with entry-level hiring intentions surging to 59%, up from 45% in the previous six months. According to the report, India’s IT industry is expected to create over 150,000 entry-level roles, with major companies expanding their workforce to meet growing project demands. Key areas of hiring will include artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data analytics, and cloud technologies, with roles in these domains expected to grow by 30-35% in FY2025.

Shantanu Rooj, founder and CEO of TeamLease EdTech, stressed the importance of upskilling for freshers to stay competitive in the evolving job market. “The key is to develop skills in AI-driven domains, adaptability, and digital competencies. Freshers need to smartly analyze the skills in demand and add them to their portfolio to bridge the gap and drive their ambitions to fruition,” he said.

While traditionally smaller sectors like power & energy and marketing & advertising have also shown modest growth, with hiring demand increasing by 4% and 2%, respectively, the demand for mid-level (6-10 years and 11-15 years) and senior-level professionals is expected to remain subdued in the first half of 2025.

Emerging job roles in deep-tech are gaining traction, with high demand for professionals in positions such as clinical bioinformatics associate, robotics system engineer, sustainability analyst, prompt engineer, AI & machine learning engineer, cloud engineer, and cybersecurity analyst.

Companies are particularly looking for candidates skilled in robotic process automation, performance marketing, network security, and financial risk analysis. Apart from technical expertise, employers are placing a high value on soft skills such as computational thinking, interpersonal skills, analytical reasoning, and adaptability for entry-level roles.

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