Pharma, IT/ITES, FMCG sectors to drive hiring in 2013

The most middle to senior management jobs in 2012 were available in information technology/software services, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries, and business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services, followed by real estate and pharmaceuticals/life sciences, according to a report.

The data is based on the searches conducted by employers on the portal during the last one year, HeadHonchos.com, an Indian job search and career management portal exclusively for senior professionals, said in a report released today.

Indications are that the same sectors will likely drive hiring growth in 2013, it said.

Pharmaceuticals emerged as a power employer, replacing industries like telecom, which saw significant hiring in the previous year. The construction/real estate industry continues to see hiring despite slower growth, given the government's thrust on infrastructure.

Foreign direct investment in retail, while providing an impetus to senior hiring in retail, is also expected to provide a boost to the real estate industry. Banking and finance is expected to spur employment on the back of the banking reforms bill.

Information technology professionals continue to be much in demand, with IT emerging as the top functional area for which employers are hiring. IT professionals are being recruited not just directly for the IT/software industry but also in support roles in a gamut of other industries. Sales and business development and HR professionals, too, were highly sought after in the year just ending.