BENGALURU: Driven by flexible work options, greater focus on gender diversity and more opportunities in sectors like BPO, finance and HR, women’s participation in the country’s workforce saw a 23% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in the first quarter of 2025. Of the total 1.81 crore job applications, over 62 lakh came from women, and the shift was felt across the spectrum—freshers, mothers re-entering the workforce, and career switchers all contributed, according to Apna’s latest ‘India at Work – Quarter (Q1) 2025’ report.
Applications from women for enterprise roles have also doubled (92% surge), reaching 7.3 lakh applications. This growth was most pronounced in Tier 2 and 3 cities such as Chandigarh (142%), Indore(131%), and Jamshedpur (146%), the report added. In these regions, women are stepping into both established and traditionally male-dominated fields, including field sales, logistics, security, and mechanical engineering.
Enterprise hiring rose sharply with companies such as LIC, Paytm, Delhivery, and Flipkart creating over 1 lakh openings, the report stated.