The practice of moonlighting in India’s tech sector dropped significantly due to a subdued job market, limited freelance gigs, and a return to office-based work.

Prasadh M.S., head of workforce research and analytics at staffing company Xpheno, said there is a 70-80% reduction in moonlighting compared to last year, mainly due to fewer projects available for software developers and UX designers.

Similarly, Sunil Chemmankotil, CEO of staffing firm TeamLease Digital, said the fall in moonlighting underlines that it is “no longer a candidate’s market.”