Originally published in Outlook India

In an indication of improving hiring activities in metro ctieis, job postings rose over five per cent in October compared to the previous month, according to a report.

The report is based on job postings on job portal SCIKEY.

"There have been signs of recovery in the hiring activities in metro cities in India despite the festive season and impact of the coronavirus pandemic. There has been an uptick in hiring in the number of job postings in October by 5.55 per cent compared to September," it said.

On an year-on-year basis, hiring activities were down 17.6 per cent in October.

Sectors that have shown a surge in hiring in September and October are e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, packaging, telecom, Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), data analytics and consulting, IT services, renewable energy and hospitality, as per the report.

Due to the pandemic, the IT sector is witnessing an increase in contractual job postings, it added.

Also, the report said that work-from-home model has led to an increase in the hiring activities in the telecom sector.

"The coronavirus pandemic had not only resulted in major job losses but also contributed to a relatively flat hiring especially in the second quarter of 2020.

"The hiring activities are showing signs of revival on a month-on-month basis with the country opening up sectors and companies looking to plug vulnerabilities while building deterrence. A more positive outlook in hiring is expected in the coming months," SCIKEY Co- founder Akshay Sharma added.

According to the report, in the IT services segment, job postings are mainly for sales, spring, interpersonal communication, automation testing and microservices.