Online hiring activity in the country witnessed a significant rise of 42 per cent in March and the steady growth figures promise a likely boost for job sentiment in the current quarter, says Monster.com.

The Monster Employment Index (India) stood at 252 in March, registering a jump of 42 per cent over the same period last year when it was at 178.

The report noted that the Monster Employment Index has been on an uptrend and this steady growth is an indication that the hiring sentiments are likely to stay bullish for the upcoming quarter as well.

 "The government is currently focused on improving the labor market and reducing dependence on the informal sector.

Stand-up India scheme is one such effort to empower women entrepreneur and create a more dynamic and inclusive ecosystem," Monster.com India Managing Director Sanjay Modi said.

Sectorwise, IT hardware and software rules the roost among all the industry sectors, with a robust 76 per cent growth. IT was closely followed by media and entertainment with a growth percentage of 71 per cent.

 Moreover, all 13 occupation groups monitored by the Index showed improved demand on the year and there continues to be dramatic growth in demand for Senior Management professionals.  City-wise, online demand exceeded the year-ago level in all 13 cities monitored by the Index.

 "When we look at the cities monitored in the index, Bengaluru continues to be the hub of opportunities for job seekers as the city witnessed a moderate growth of 64 per cent. However, the most notable improvement was seen in Chandigarh with a growth of 57 per cent, an improvement of 10 percentage point," Modi added.