NEW DELHI — Women accounted for roughly one in three job placements in India in calendar year 2025, with their overall share in hiring holding steady at 33 percent, according to a report released Thursday.
The report by Careernet found that entry-level roles made up the largest share of women’s placements at 36 percent. However, hiring at the senior level — for professionals with more than 12 years of experience — declined to 16 percent from 19 percent a year earlier, highlighting a persistent leadership gap.
At the same time, hiring of women with 3 to 12 years of experience rose by about 2 percent year over year, signaling increased demand for mid-career professionals.
Sector-wise, BFSI global capability centers (GCCs) led with a 40 percent share of women hires, followed by other GCCs at 38 percent, reflecting strong participation in offshore and global business operations. Among core domestic sectors, BFSI recorded a 31 percent share, the highest, while IT services remained stable at 29 percent. Domestic enterprises and product-based GCCs reported lower shares at 25 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
Geographically, Chennai and Bengaluru led women’s placements with 30 percent and 29 percent shares, respectively. Mumbai and the Delhi-NCR region saw moderate participation at 26 percent and 24 percent. Tier-II and smaller cities accounted for 15 percent of placements, down about 3 percentage points from the previous year, underscoring the continued concentration of opportunities in major urban centers.
“With one in three placements being women and strong momentum in BFSI GCC hiring, along with gains at the mid-career level, targeted interventions are clearly delivering results,” said Neelabh Shukla, Chief Business Officer at Careernet.
He added that as hiring becomes more selective, women are increasingly represented in roles requiring experience and long-term continuity.
A separate report by TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship and GAN Global highlighted ongoing gaps in specialized technology roles. While women make up 35 to 38 percent of the overall IT workforce, there is still a 20 to 25 percent shortfall in job-ready candidates for niche technical skills.
Women account for just 14 to 16 percent of specialized roles such as Java, Python, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence and machine learning, the report said.
Although women represent about 43 percent of STEM graduates, their share drops below 20 percent in core engineering fields such as mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering, indicating a continuing pipeline challenge. (Source: IANS)
