The IT industry in India has witnessed a dramatic change in the past few years. Especially in the year 2020, the top companies across the technology spectrum have adopted brand new ways to attract and retain their workforce. Say, for example, one of the leading IT giants in India, Tata Consultancy Services has recently adopted a 25/25 model, that is only 25% of its workforce will work from the office by 2025.
Considering all these changes happening in the IT industry, we want to have a closer look at how recruitment has transformed lately. In this blog, we will discuss some of the top hiring trends in the Indian IT landscape. So, let’s dive in.
Technology Dependence
Last year, no hiring manager and recruiter interacted with candidates in person. This means companies were not able to evaluate a candidate’s communication abilities, confidence, and other soft skills. To make up for the lost interpersonal interaction, IT companies increasingly adopted automated technologies such as recruitment software.
Recruitment management systems are software tools that assist HR managers to run hiring operations on autopilot rather than wasting time in updating candidate data and coordinating for interviews. Such systems come with a host of exceptional features that make things super easy for HRs. From posting job openings to auto-generating offer letters, recruitment software streamlines every process involved in recruiting. Using such systems, IT companies are not just able to continue hiring from any remote location but also get their hands on the best candidates in this crucial time.
Distributed Workforce
It is no news that work from home has gained prominence in every industry. In the IT industry, an evident relocation and decentralization of talent have now become a reality. Since there are no longer any limitations of geography, IT companies have now turned to smaller towns and cities for fresh talent. Most importantly, talent from groups and communities that were earlier overlooked is being considered over the past year.
The majority of IT organizations have also started following a diversity-focused hiring approach to acquire greater gender, racial, religious, and ethnic diversity in every department of the company. Needless to say, all recruiters and HR professionals are also identifying and avoiding unconscious biases while selecting candidates. As a result, IT firms are able to build a truly heterogeneous workforce, which consists of people from different generations, geographical locations, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses.
Higher Demand For Freelancers
After 2020, the freelancers in India are presently looking to the future with hope. With the acceptance of remote working as well as the high demand for cost and time-efficient employment, freelancers in the IT industry have experienced a resurgence in their services. This is certainly because more and more IT organizations are warming up to the idea of WFH model and are willing to engage freelancers in their projects.
According to a recent survey, 70% of respondents from the IT industry expect higher availability of remote work and an increase in the gig marketplace in the coming years. That being said, India (the second-largest market for freelancers) will, undoubtedly, witness an increased engagement of freelancers in every industry in 2021 and beyond.
Transformed Leadership Skills
Soft skills including communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving have always been in demand in the Indian IT sector. But, in 2020, leadership skills became coveted because of the unprecedented transformation in work models and operations. To navigate these volatile times, companies are now looking for managers and leaders who can train and mentor younger employees.
Today, several IT firms are relying on training and learning programs to aid employees to build both soft as well as technical skills. Some are even training their leaders and managers to handle the expectations and aspirations of their team members by providing them learning opportunities.
So, these are the top four hiring trends in the Indian IT sector. Need to mention, with the second wave of coronavirus, we can expect newer trends to emerge in months to come.