Hiring picks up pace as India goes back to work

With India getting back to work, hiring has picked up a fair bit of pace in the last one month. A survey by social networking firm LinkedIn said it has increased by a smart 35% between April and June. HR consultants have indicated to FE, the pace of recruitment is nudging 70% of pre-Covid-19 levels as companies fill up vacancies.

To be sure, as LinkedIn had found, the competition is stiff. The average number of applicants for any role has doubled over the last six months from about 90 in January to 180 in June. However, the good news, HR experts point out, is that several multinational corporations are beginning to move more work to India and are expected to step hiring for their global technology, R&D and other requirements by the end of the year. Those specialising in risk management and business continuity can command their price; businesses are scrambling to find experts in this space.

Most local organisations have transitioned fast to work-from-home environments and with business picking up, albeit slowly, largescale retrenchments are unlikely. LinkedIn’s survey showed that after plunging 50% year-on-year in April, sentiment has recovered to a negative15% y-o-y at the end of June. “Job seekers currently in affected sectors such as recreation and travel are 6.8 times more likely to look for jobs in a different sector, compared to pre-COVID times. Those in the retail sector are 2.4 times likely to apply for a job in a different sector,” it said. Software engineers, business development managers, sales managers, business analysts and content writers are in demand.

Clearly, experts in the field of technology —artificial intelligence, machine learning, data sciences — won’t be stranded. Nicolas Dumoulin, managing director, Michael Page India, recently observed the skills companies are looking for relate to digital transformation as well as technology, engineering and data sciences. “These are in demand across the e-commerce, SaaS, gaming, performance marketing as well as mobility sectors,” Dumoulin explained.

LinkedIn said skills that are in high demand include JavaScript, SQL, sales management, team leadership and recruiting. “These roles have the greatest number of job openings, have seen steady growth over the past four years, pay a liveable wage, and require skills that can be learned online,” it said.