COVID caused a 3 per cent decline in job postings in April, says Monster report

Job postings in April witnessed a 3 per cent decline sequentially as the country is hit with the second wave of the pandemic leading to lockdowns, according to a report. The data indicates that the employment index saw a decline in job posting activity in April compared to March by 3 per cent, according to the Monster Employment Index. The overall job postings also witnessed a decline of 4 per cent year-on-year as of April 2021, compared to April 2020.

The Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive analysis of online job posting activity conducted by Monster India. The decline in postings is due to the onset of the second wave of the pandemic leading to lockdowns, the report noted. Despite the decline in overall job postings, some industries continued to hold strong in some specific cities, it said.

Job postings in advertising, market research, public relations (PR) in Chennai and Hyderabad noted more than 50 per cent year-on-year growth. Banking or financial services, insurance in Kolkata, saw a 26 per cent growth in April, compared with March despite the overall growth in job postings remaining neutral for the location, it stated. Year-on-year hiring activity in Bengaluru (28 per cent), Hyderabad (23 per cent), and Chennai (16 per cent) indicated strong growth in job postings in April.

There has been significant growth in the top management (36 per cent), senior-level (10 per cent) and intermediate level (13 per cent) hiring year-on-year as of April 2021 compared to April 2020. The year-on-year numbers are still positive given that April 2020 also had COVID-19 impact in the base, the report said.

In April, the shipping and marine industry continued to witness a 2 per cent increase sequentially in job postings. However, media and entertainment remained neutral. Industries that exhibited the highest decline in job postings in April compared to the previous month include engineering, cement, construction, iron and steel (15 per cent), retail (14 per cent), FMCG, food and packaged food (12 per cent) and logistic, courier or freight or transportation (12 per cent).

Monster.com CEO Sekhar Garisa said, "The second wave of the pandemic and various intensities of lockdowns across the country have impacted hiring activities. However, hiring activities in some cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai indicate a positive uptick, and year-on-year growth across certain sectors and functions have been witnessed."