India’s Job Market More Resilient, Job Postings Decline 5%: Bain & Company
The report, titled Global Job Market Trends, found that global hiring remained under pressure across major markets, industries and job functions, even as demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related roles continued to grow.
France recorded the steepest decline in job postings among the top 10 markets tracked, at 40 per cent, followed by Brazil at 39 per cent and the Netherlands at 33 per cent, the report revealed.
Job postings fell 27 per cent in Germany and 23 per cent in the United States.
In comparison, declines were limited to 4 per cent in Canada, 7 per cent in Japan, 9 per cent in the United Kingdom and 10 per cent in China.
AI-related hiring bucked the broader trend, with global job postings in the segment rising 60 per cent year-on-year to approximately 351,000 in the second quarter of 2026.
The figure was also 12 per cent higher than in the first quarter, although AI-related roles continued to account for a relatively small share of total job postings.
Most traditional job functions experienced double-digit declines. Research, design and development postings fell 37 per cent year-on-year, followed by sales and marketing, both down 32 per cent.
Strategy and analytics postings declined 27 per cent, IT 25 per cent and finance 24 per cent. Engineering recorded a relatively smaller decline of 7 per cent, while general and administrative roles fell 13 per cent.
Entry-level hiring also weakened, with postings for junior positions declining 11 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, compared with a 6 per cent drop in the first quarter.
Junior roles accounted for 95 per cent of all job postings during the quarter, the report said.
Some sectors continued to record growth despite the broader slowdown. Job postings in venture capital and private equity rose 47 per cent year-on-year, while capital markets registered a 26 per cent increase.
Computer and network security postings grew 19 per cent, and defence and space-related roles increased 13 per cent.
The findings point to an increasingly selective hiring environment, with demand concentrated in specific capabilities even as recruitment across several traditional functions remains subdued.
The report highlighted the need for organisations to align their talent strategies with evolving business requirements and changing skill demands.
