Apna’s India at Work Q1’25 Report: Over 1.8 crore job applications, 3.1 lakh jobs posted, and 92% surge in job applications by women for enterprise job roles

 

~ Women’s workforce participation soared, driven by flexible work, inclusive hiring, and rising opportunities in Tier 2 and 3 cities like Chandigarh, Indore, and Jamshedpur.

~ Rajkot, Warangal, and Meerut saw rise in Fresher’s Hiring

Mumbai, 28th April 2025: India’s job market is surging ahead with renewed momentum in 2025, as revealed by Apna’s latest “India at Work – Q1 2025” report. The platform witnessed a record-breaking 1.81 crore job applications, a 30% increase from the previous year, reflecting India’s growing economic optimism and digital hiring boom across sectors.

Women’s participation in the workforce soared, with over 62 lakh applications—a 23% year-on-year jump. Notably, applications from women for enterprise roles doubled, marking a 92% surge. This growth was most pronounced in Tier 2 and 3 cities such as Chandigarh, Indore, and Jamshedpur, driven by flexible work options, gender-inclusive hiring, and expanded opportunities in sectors like BPO, finance, and HR.

Freshers also powered India’s employment engine, contributing over 66 lakh applications—a 46% YoY increase. With companies increasingly recruiting from beyond metro cities, emerging talent hubs like Rajkot, Warangal, and Meerut are now part of the mainstream hiring narrative.

On the supply side, Apna saw 3.1 lakh job postings, up 26% from Q1 2024. SMBs led the charge, posting over 2.1 lakh jobs, including 28,547 roles exclusively for women. Enterprise hiring rose sharply with companies like LIC, Paytm, Delhivery, and Flipkart creating over 1 lakh openings, expanding recruitment beyond metros and tapping into the national talent pool.

Reflecting on India’s evolving workforce, Nirmit Parikh, Founder & CEO of Apna, shared: “When we launched Apna, we weren’t just building a jobs platform — we were building a movement to unlock access for every Indian, regardless of their pin code or past experience. In Q1 2025 too, we witnessed this vision materialize in ways we had always hoped for. From Delhi to Dehradun, Surat to Samastipur, we saw hiring become truly decentralized. Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities contributed over 40% of new users, with many of them showing double-digit growth in job applications. Applications from women for enterprise roles didn’t just rise, they saw a 92% leap. Fresher applications crossed 66 lakh. Enterprises scaled hiring into non-metro regions, and SMBs emerged as the largest job creators — not just in metros, but across 900+ cities. The hiring process itself is evolving too — with AI now matching candidates faster, improving conversion rates, and empowering job seekers to prepare smarter. We’re seeing people find not just any job, but the right job — faster than ever before. In just one quarter, over 1.81 crore job applications were submitted on Apna. That’s not just a statistic — it’s 1.81 crore stories of determination. From Tier 1 metros to the most remote Tier 3 towns, India is not just working — India is winning. And Apna is proud to be enabling that revolution.”

India's digital transformation continues to gain momentum, particularly in Tier 2 cities, where the demand for advanced tech talent is soaring. In Q1 2025, Apna recorded a remarkable 65.4% increase in job postings for Software/Web Developer roles, alongside a 42.2% rise in fresher applications for these positions compared to the previous year. This surge highlights the growing need for specialized professionals in fields such as AI/ML, cybersecurity, business intelligence, and data-driven operations, as enterprises in these regions expand their digital capabilities.

While traditional tech hubs like Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai maintain their dominance, cities such as Indore, Jaipur, Lucknow, Rajkot, and Warangal are rapidly emerging as key players in the tech hiring landscape. These cities have experienced a 30-50% year-on-year growth in tech job applications, driven by increased access to engineering talent, certifications, and stronger digital infrastructure. The rise of remote-first work models has further enabled these cities to tap into a broader pool of tech professionals.

With India’s digital economy on track to reach $1 trillion by 2030, the shift toward decentralized tech talent hubs is gaining momentum. Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are no longer just participating in India's tech revolution — they are at the forefront of driving the country’s digital future, fostering innovation, and reshaping the tech hiring landscape for the years to come.

With AI-driven hiring tools reducing time-to-hire and improving candidate matches, Apna continues to drive inclusive growth by connecting India’s vast and diverse talent pool with relevant opportunities across 200+ job categories.