India’s job market has witnessed a significant development in the past four years with a rise in women jobseekers from non-metropolitan cities.
According to the professional networking platform, Apna.co, there has been a four-fold rise in women job seekers from tier 2 and 3 cities in the country between 2021 and 2024. Additionally, there has been a three-fold increase in job applications from women in these regions, reaching 1.28 crore in 2024, the platform observed.
Apna.co attributed the rise to expanding job opportunities, an increase in digital accessibility, and evolving employer hiring patterns.
Among the different categories, Sales & Business Development, Admin & Back Office, and Customer Support emerged as the top job departments for women job seekers in Tier 2 and 3 cities, accounting for 55 percent of the job applications.
Women jobseekers have shown interest in departments such as Marketing, Banking, Retail, Human Resources, Hospitality, Teaching, and Healthcare.
Additionally, women are also opting for unconventional job roles, with 2.5 lakh applications in Delivery and Logistics and 1.5 lakh job applications in security services in 2024.
The Apna.co also observed a 2.5-fold increase in the freshers among women job seekers in Tier 2 and 3 cities in the past three years, reaching nearly 9 lakh in 2024.
Additionally, the median salary of women job seekers in non-metro regions has increased by 34 percent over the past three years, signalling improved wage growth and expanding career prospects beyond metro cities.
“India’s workforce is undergoing a transformation, with women from Tier 2 and 3 cities stepping into diverse careers across industries. Fueled by digital accessibility and evolving hiring trends, this surge is reshaping workforce dynamics. By 2030, exponential job market growth will further accelerate opportunities for women across various sectors. This shift presents a crucial moment for businesses to tap into a skilled and motivated talent pool,” Nirmit Parikh, founder and CEO of Apna.co said.