NEW DELHI: Talent demand jumped by 3% in automobile sector even as other sectors held back hiring in March 2016, reports RecruiteX During March 2016, while most sectors were engaged in financial year closing and performance appraisals.

The focus was more on retaining talent rather than new hiring, which kept the overall fresh hiring volumes low. However, the automobile sector defied the trend with a significant (3%) rise in talent demand reports RecruiteX, the recruitment index by TimesJobs.com.

While FY 2016-17 began on a low note for most sectors with an overall average 1% drop in talent demand, sectors such as IT, telecom, BFSI and automobile witnessed positive momentum between March 2015 and March 2016. “During the start of the new financial year, organizations set new policies and frameworks and take stock of available and required resources. Hence hiring volumes are usually low. Whatever hiring takes place during this period is largely replacement hires or for niche profiles and roles. This trend is evident in the figures reported in the RecruiteX,” says Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com. Key takeaways – Automobile sector reported 3% increase in talent demand in March 2016 – Entertainment/ media/ journalism profiles saw 2% rise in demand – Vadodara reported 8% rise in talent demand during the month – No increase in talent demand in any experience category Hiring up in auto sector Automobile was the only key sector to witness a rise in talent demand during March 2016.