India leads white-collar job growth in January, surpasses US, UK: Survey

India emerged as the top country creating the highest number of white-collar jobs in January, recording a 58.13 per cent increase compared to the monthly average in the second half of 2024, shows Robert Walters Global Jobs Index. The surge was primarily driven by demand in HR, procurement and supply chain, technology, and consulting roles within the professional services sector.

Despite India's strong growth, the US topped the charts in overall white-collar job creation in the world’s biggest companies. It accounted for 31 per cent of new positions in the world's largest companies. India followed closely with 16.61 per cent, while the UK secured third place with 7.72 per cent, according to the index.

For the first time, Poland entered the Top 10 rankings for job creation by volume, with a notable increase in roles across financial and professional services.

Across leading professional services firms worldwide, job openings rose by 38.16 per cent in January compared to the second half of 2024. “January data for professional services firms is generally in line with trends observed in 2024, where this sector was not as severely impacted as others,” said Toby Fowlston, CEO of global talent solutions firm Robert Walters.

Sector-wise, professional services firms saw the most significant job growth (38.16 per cent), followed by real estate & construction (24.68%) and healthcare (7.09%). Meanwhile, industries such as technology, media & telecoms (-8.08%), energy & utilities (-13.75%), and consumer goods & services (-14.64%) experienced a decline in hiring compared to the latter half of 2024.

With an 57.51 per cent increase in new job creation in January compared to December 2024, financial services indicated a signs of recovery. Legal and regulatory specialists are the most in demand professionals across the financial services sector – the demand for the roles were 13.97 per cent higher in January, when compared against the 2024 monthly average.

Demand for business support, procurement and supply chain, and HR specialists was higher across almost all major sectors in January. 

In fact, only four countries (out of the top 10 for professional services employment) reported a decline in January vs the second half monthly average of 2024 – Germany (-29.91 per cent), Australia (-8.36 per cent), France (-4.72 per cent), and Italy (-3.30 per cent).