New Delhi, As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to haunt companies and job seekers in India, job portal Naukri.com on Monday launched the 'Step-Up' initiative that will highlight profiles of those who have recently been laid off or are available to join immediately.

The initiative aims to facilitate hiring and career progression, to help recruiters and job seekers in these uncertain times, the company said in a statement.

"For recruiters, our very first offering is the free bouquet of hiring services to recruiters in critical industries like medical, healthcare, pharma and telecom as we stand with them in these tough times. There are many more offerings in the pipeline," Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com said in a statement.

"On the jobseeker front, we are prioritizing access and discovery of recently 'laid off and immediately available to join' jobseekers by the recruiters," Goyal added.

There will be a live tracker highlighting companies and industries that are currently hiring along with active jobs to apply to.

Naukri.com has also curated some useful content around work from home (WFH) productivity, job search, upskilling courses etc. to help jobseekers navigate these times.

"Also, there is a complete guide on career progression during these tough times with upskilling courses, Hiring insights, CV assessment tools etc.," Goyal said.