New Delhi: In signs of better job market prospects, hiring activities increased across many sectors, including banking and pharma in April, says a survey by leading employment portal Naukri.com. Naukri.com's Job Speak Index climbed to 1,193 in April from 1,170 in March. The index is a montly measure of online job demand. Noting that the first month of the financial quarter starts on a positive note, Naukri.com said the index rose 12 per cent last month as compared to April 2011. "... hiring in sectors like IT- Software and Banking are surging ahead strongly. The index for IT sector in April 2012 at 1,400 is the highest since inception (July 2008)," it said in a statement. Pharma and auto sectors have also been seeing positive hiring momentum over the last few months. "While hiring in certain sectors has slowed down, most companies are still cautiously optimistic as good talent is difficult to find,"Info Edge India Managing Director and CEO Hitesh Oberoi said. He noted that hiring is unlikely to slow down in the coming months. Naukri.com is part of Info Edge group. "Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai has been upbeat with hiring activity in April 2012 being 36 per cent, 19 percent and 17 percent higher than April 2011. Tier-1 cities apart from metros are also witnessing increasing hiring numbers year on year," the statement said.