Health and life sciences startups were the top direct job providers after the IT services sector, accounting for almost 9 per cent of the total jobs provided by registered Indian startup firms.
The official government data under the Startup India initiative showed that companies registered as startups in the records of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) added a total of around 16.7 lakh direct jobs across 55 industry categories (or sectors) as of October 31, 2024.
After IT services and health and life sciences, which took the top two spots of job providers, professional and commercial services, education, and construction startups were the source of the most number of direct jobs.
Professional and commercial services startups created 94,060 direct jobs, education startups added 90,414 jobs, and construction startups added 88,702 jobs.
Agriculture among top job creators but AR/VR startups fall behind
Interestingly, agriculture startups found their place in the top ten job providers, contributing 83,307 direct jobs according to government data.
While augmented reality and virtual reality technology have been lauded as job-creating skills in recent times, AR/VR startups have only created a meagre 5,848 direct jobs.
Despite the industry buzz in the dating and matrimony startup space, they were among the lowest job contributors, adding just 717 direct job opportunities.
The Union Government launched the Startup India initiative back in January 2016 with the aim of creating a robust ecosystem to cultivate innovation initiatives, incubate quality startups, and encourage more investments in India's startup ecosystem.
