STEM powers India’s hiring surge: 23% YoY growth led by IT and manufacturing

New Delhi (TIP)- Foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), India’s leading talent platform, published the foundit Insights Tracker (fit) for August 2025, revealing that India’s job market is increasingly shaped by STEM-driven industries. The tracker recorded a 23% year-on-year increase in hiring growth, alongside a 3% rise month-on-month.
“The data reveals a fascinating split within STEM: IT and electronics are racing ahead while traditional engineering and healthcare show signs of slowing down. Yet even in this divergence, the resilience of STEM is clear — these industries are not only creating jobs but also deepening leadership demand. When mid-senior and senior roles surge in parallel with IT and manufacturing growth, it signals that India’s workforce is maturing beyond headcount to capability. This shift is setting the pace for the broader employment landscape,” said Tarun Sharma, Chief Product and Technology Officer, foundit.
India’s STEM employment base grew by 7.4% in the past year, rising from 6.8 million to 7.3 million jobs. While growth is steady, it is STEM’s share of the overall workforce that reinforces its backbone role in the economy.
– IT – Software & Services leads with 35% of all STEM jobs
– BFSI and Manufacturing together account for nearly one-fifth of STEM employment, each posting strong annual gains
– Healthcare & Pharma and Construction & Engineering held steady at around 6% share each
– Automotive and Energy sectors expanded to about 5% share each, reflecting demand in EVs, renewables, and oil & gas
– Other industries such as Retail analytics, Telecom, Consumer Electronics, Logistics, Agriculture, Education, FMCG R&D, and Media/Entertainment together contributed around 15% of the STEM job base
STEM Jobs by Function
From a functional perspective, IT roles such as software development, AI, and data remain dominant, accounting for one-third of STEM demand.
– Engineering & Production roles grew from 18% to 20% YoY demand
– Customer Service within tech and BPO held steady at 11% share
– Sales & Business Development roles rose to 9% share, while Finance & Accounting and Medical roles remained stable at 7% each
– Marketing & Communications within STEM grew to 7% share, recording one of the strongest upticks in demand
Together, these shifts indicate that while IT and core engineering continue to lead, functions like sales, finance, and marketing are becoming increasingly integrated into the STEM hiring landscape.