Reform of the employment market: applications for jobs increased by 30 per cent, a good share of women

New Delhi| The country’s employment market has seen significant growth in the first quarter of the year 2025, i.e. January-March. Applications for jobs rose by 30 per cent, with women accounting for a good share.

According to a report by professional networking platform Apna, a record 1.81 crore job applications were received in the January-March quarter. This figure is 30 per cent higher on an annual basis. This reflects India’s growing economic optimism and the surge in recruitment through digital medium across all sectors. Apart from this, the number of women in the workforce has increased due to flexible working, inclusive recruitment process and increasing employment opportunities in medium-small towns also.

According to the report, women’s applications rose 23 percent year-on-year to more than 6.2 million in the March quarter. The increase was most marked in tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Chandigarh, Indore and Jamshedpur. Young people (freshers) who recently completed studies made more than 6.6 million applications in the March quarter, up 46 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, applications were called for 3.1 lakh posts from employers, up 26 per cent year-on-year.