India's white-collar hiring rises 14% in August: Naukri report

India's white-collar hiring rose 14% year-on-year in August 2026, according to the Naukri JobSpeak Index. Auto and auto-ancillary hiring grew 19%, healthcare 16% and retail 15%, while AI and ML roles jumped 31%. Fresher hiring also increased 15%. However, hiring fell 6% from July, and festive-season timing may have influenced the August numbers.