Companies cautious on short-term hiring, but overall outlook stays upbeat

Employers in India are showing caution in short-term hiring for the July-September quarter, with a net employment outlook of 30%, six percentage points lower than the current quarter and the same period last year. While 48% of employers plan to hire more people, 18% expect a decrease in hiring or have no plans to hire. The most optimistic sectors are finance and real estate, healthcare and life sciences, and IT, while communication services and transport, logistics, and automotive are less optimistic.