The global job market dynamics in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025 revealed a negative year-over-year (YoY) trend, as several companies announced layoffs amid ongoing optimisation efforts.
The banking and payments sector experienced a rise in postings, driven by companies such as JPMorgan Chase & Co, PNC Financial Services, and Visa.
Meanwhile, technology sector had significant number of job postings with key themes driving hiring trends included artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, big data, cybersecurity, and social media, reveals the Job Analytics Database of GlobalData.
GlobalData’s report, “Global Hiring Activity Trends & Signals – Q1 2025”, reveals that besides banking and payments sector, technology and communications sector, with major recruiters including Amazon, Oracle and Capgemini, also saw a rise in postings. The new job postings were driven by roles for AI/ML Engineers, Generative AI Solution Architects, and Data Scientists, reflecting the growing emphasis on technological advancements.
Sherla Sriprada, business fundamentals analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The AI theme has experienced a notable increase in job postings, driven by the need for AI/ML Engineers, Cloud Architects, and Generative AI Solution Architects in Q1 2025. Increased focus on GenAI, AI Agents, Vertex AI, and LLMs roles boosted the demand for expertise in ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini.”
Companies headquartered in France, Japan, and Spain had better growth in job postings compared to the previous year same quarter. Notably, US-based firms led overall job postings, with a rise in onshoring activity among North American companies. In contrast, onshore hiring declined for firms based in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Meanwhile, Office Productivity Applications gained traction, driven by hiring for Project Managers, Data Analysts, and Administrative Assistants.
Sriprada concludes: “Organisations are realigning talent strategies to capitalize on innovation, while regional disparities in onshoring reflect shifting priorities in workforce localization and digital capability building.”