MUMBAI: The Year 2017 is bringing good news for job seekers, with an expected 10-15 per cent rise in hiring activity in 2017 as reported by over 2000 employers across India Inc. according to a private survey. This points towards a cheerful year for the hiring industry, as employers' expectations are greater than what they were last year.

In the survey last year (2015-16), employers had anticipated a lower 5-10 per cent rise in hiring while now they are upbeat about seeing a 10-15 per cent rise in 2017. "There is a clear paradigm shift in the Indian economy, with the support of the government's efforts and focus on IT, entrepreneurship and manufacturing, India Inc. is steering itself for strong growth that is seen to be impacting job growth and employment in the country next year," says Times Business Solutions head of strategy Nilanjan Roy.

In the TimesJobs survey 2016-17, 30 per cent organisations felt the IT and telecom sectors will hire the biggest numbers, 20 per cent said the healthcare sector and 15 per cent said that manufacturing will be the top employment generator. Another 15 per cent voted for automobile and 10 per cent for infrastructure and retail sectors.

The focus on gender diversity will also continue to take shape in 2017, as highlighted by India Inc. in the 2016-17 study. Over 70 per cent organisations plan to increase the ratio of women in their workforce. This is a significant 10 per cent rise in employer expectations as compared to that in 2016, showing a heightened awareness of the gender diversity challenge faced by India Inc. About 60 per cent employers foresee a higher demand for women professionals at the middle level positions, 20 per cent see maximum hires at the entry level while another 20 percent say they will hire women professional for CXO level leadership roles in 2017.

Nearly 25% of organisations voted that IT would be the most sought after profile followed by another 20 per cent organizations that feel the demand for sales, business development professionals and research and development profiles will rise considerably in 2017. About 15 per cent organisations said that they expect marketing and advertising professionals to see maximum demand in 2017.

The most optimistic hiring expectations are for middle-level professionals, according to the survey 2016-17. The study reveals professionals with 5-10 years of experience will see the maximum demand across sectors. Nearly 30 per cent of the organisations surveyed stated mid-level managers with 5-10 years of experience would be most sought in 2017. About 20 per cent employers see greater demand for young professionals with less than 2 years of experience in 2017 while 15 per cent said experienced professionals with 10-20 years of experience will be most in demand.

While positive hiring activity is being reported in Tier I cities and state capitals, the major metros will continue to be the top job hubs in 2017 according to the survey. Nearly 45 per cent organisations said job opportunities will be maximum in metro cities, including, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai while 40 per cent see a rise in employment opportunities in Tier I locations. Overall, the survey 2016-17 reports the second and fourth-quarters of 2017 as the hottest for hiring in India Inc.