Top trends that defined how India worked

 Top trends that defined how India worked in 2021

In a year that was characterized by despair, hope, resurgence, and expectations of a return to normal, India's hiring activity witnessed interesting green shoots. As the economy recovered from the aftermath of two consecutive COVID waves, businesses stabilized and expanded their operations. Propelled by government initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat, many industries witnessed rapid growth, creating job opportunities. While the digitization of businesses kept the demand for tech jobs steady, many unique roles emerged.

In 2021, India's hiring, and talent ecosystem was buzzing with activity. Indeed, the world’s #1 job site reveals the most interesting trends that defined the dynamics of job search this year.

As India returned to normalcy after a long spell of pandemic and lockdowns, Indeed observed a high demand by organizations for unique roles such as Professor, Loan officers, Recruitment managers and Packagers. Data indicates that job postings for the role of ‘professor’ witnessed a massive jump of 2,448% between December 2020 and December 2021. There was a similar interest from job seekers for this role as clicks for ‘’professor’ too saw an increase of 1,576%.

The recovery in economic activity seems to have benefited the BFSI sector too. This reflected growth in postings for jobs such as ‘Credit Manager’ (496%), ‘Loan Officer’ (189%), and ‘Branch Manager’ (186%). Postings for tech jobs such as ‘Senior Software Engineer’ (70%), ‘Software Engineer’ (33%) and ‘Full Stack developer’ (10%) witnessed a steady growth during the same period.

Once the Covid 19 vaccination drive got underway, companies and employees were better prepared to face the challenges posed by the pandemic compared to the previous year. This is reflected in a surge in job seeker’s interest in roles such as ‘Event coordinator’ (715%), ‘Presenter’ (562%), ‘Taxi driver’ (499%), and ‘Customer service supervisor’ (475%). It clearly indicates that people started getting back to the new normal and look beyond the pandemic.

Job postings for roles such as ‘Order Processor’ (-70%), ‘call center representative’ (-61%), ‘Collection agent’ (-59%), ‘Machine operator’ (-59%) witnessed degrowth during December 2020 and December 2021. Some skilled labour roles such as ‘fitter’ (-55%) and ‘welder’ (-52%) also declined in the same period largely due to COVID restrictions and migration of such talent back to their hometowns.

Indeed also saw a dip in job postings like ground staff’ (-94%), ‘horticulture manager’ (-80%), ‘procurement assistant’ (-75%), ‘floor supervisor’ (-71%) and ‘materials manager’ (-71%) saw significant degrowth between December 2020- December 2021.

In what can be seen as a silver lining, technology organizations increased freshers’ postings and Indeed’s report on Freshers’ hiring indicated that the number of freshers seeking jobs (searches) had seen a 30% YoY increase in October 2021 compared to October 2020. In 2021, most job seekers enthusiastically looked for work portfolios such as software engineers and full stack developers while other business function roles like sales representatives and business development executives.

While Work from Home, digitization, automation, and lockdown had their merits and challenges for India, the big three cities viz. Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad continued to remain the top cities searched for jobs among the job-finders and jobseekers. Pune and Chennai followed, both have always been centres where hiring and job searches have attracted talent from across the country.

Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, Indeed India, said “Right now we might have to wait and watch to understand what will be the next big thing for the industry in 2022 and beyond. But, our data shows India Inc’s inclination towards the relevance of tech jobs remains steady. With continued reliance on technological solutions to meet the needs for shopping, remote working, and learning. Some of these trends will continue to rule in 2022.

INDIANS MOST OPTIMISTIC IN APAC ABOUT JOB AND PAY RISE

 INDIANS MOST OPTIMISTIC IN APAC ABOUT JOB AND PAY RISE PROSPECTS IN 2021: INDEED GLOBAL SURVEY

• Indian workers (56%) are more than twice as positive about their chances of getting a pay rise next year compared to their counterparts in Australia (20%) and Singapore (23%)
• Over 1 in 3 Indian workers are very optimistic about their career prospects in 2021, the highest in all countries surveyed
• Indian workers deem workplace safety (59%) and employee wellbeing (44%) as the two most important considerations for the 2021 workplace

India’s resilience as it prepares to embrace a new year and a potential vaccine drive is reflected in the optimism of its workers over the job market, majority of whom are upbeat about the chances of their pay rise next year, a global study by Indeed, the world’s number one job site, has found.

64% and 56% Indian workers respectively said they were optimistic about their chances at better career opportunities, and a pay rise in 2021. Yet, 54% said they would not pursue other job opportunities even if approached by other employers, some citing current workplace satisfaction, with most citing job insecurity.

Speaking of resilience, more than 2 in 5 employers said the decisions taken at the outset of the pandemic were effective in ensuring their business continuity. 66% employers also credited their workforce for pulling together and helping their company in this time of crisis.

Although forced into lockdown this year, Indian workers cited greater family time and inclusion/flexibility as positive side effects. 2 in 5 workers said “more time with family” and “more opportunities to work from home” had the biggest impact on their personal circumstances in 2020. The study notes interestingly that both Indian employers and workers share polarized views about work-life balance and how they expect the future to pan out. 41% employers and 39% employees said lines between work and life have permanently blurred, with another 40% employers and employees saying lines are more separate than ever.

As Indian workers look to the future, a 59% majority said they expected workplaces in 2021 to show greater consideration to hygiene, health and safety, with another 44% citing mental wellbeing as the second most important consideration. On cue, 1 in 2 employers said that social distancing and hygiene measures would be a priority while implementing new workplace policies in 2021. Embracing hybrid work as the future of work, more than 7 in 10 employers said they would increase work-from-home options, with another 59% stating improved flexible work options as an important consideration while implementing new workplace policies.

Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India, said, “Covid-19 disrupted economies of the world, but it also created an opportunity for the workforce and workplace to adapt, pivot and reimagine. This research shows that some of the changes undergone in 2020 will have a lasting impact, with both employers and workers eyeing greater flexibility in work methods and placing a new emphasis on health and hygiene. Our study also shows that employee wellbeing and work-life balance are now workplace imperatives, while skilling will be an important conversation for organizations to drive in 2021. As the world’s second largest labour market moves towards its economic recovery, how organizations redefine their talent strategies and workplace practices, will play a critical role in how India prepares for the future of work.”

Signaling revival, platform data shows the number of job postings on Indeed India – a real time measure of labor market activity in the country, has increased across industries. Growth in job postings was -18.5% in November 2020, from -50% in June-July 2020. Concurring with this sentiment while responding to their 2021 hiring plans in the study, 37% Indian employers said they planned to hire at higher volumes than before the pandemic, with another 17% expecting to revert to pre-pandemic levels of hiring.

The Indeed Global Survey measured the sentiment of 3600 employers and 14,142 employees across the UK, US, Ireland, Australia, India, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil and Canada between November 13 and November 20 this year. This included 251 employers and 1015 employees in India. The research was conducted by Censuswide.

Nearly 1 in 2 employers hired only virtually in the pandemic, reveals Indeed

 Nearly 1 in 2 employers hired only virtually in the pandemic, reveals Indeed
as it launches Virtual Hiring Events for India

~ Indeed surveyed nearly 500 employers in India to understand hiring sentiment and patterns ~

~ 1250+ employers world over hosted 3700+ virtual hiring events on Indeed this year ~

Indeed, the world’s No. 1 job site,  gathered top recruiters across India at its virtual event Indeed Showcase today, to launch its latest tech innovation, Virtual Hiring Events (VHE) – a simple and efficient solution that will help recruiters across the country hire in this new virtual world of work. VHE launches in India around the same time Indeed spoke with nearly 500 employers across 16 sectors and 12 cities, where 47% hired only virtually and nearly 1 in 3 used a combination of virtual and face-to-face hiring methods this year.

Safety concerns drove employers to hire virtually, as the pandemic drove India into remote work:

With the pandemic disrupting the job market and more and more people taking to the internet to find jobs, organizations are now required to have a more digital approach towards recruiting. 64% employers said that safety was the primary driver for hiring virtually this year. Indeed’s VHE is a virtual hiring solution aimed at bringing ease and seamlessness to a complex traditional hiring process, helping all people to now find opportunities in a safe and efficient way.

With VHE, employers across India can easily, and cost-effectively, create and promote their own company-sponsored virtual hiring event(s) where they can host open interviews, from a safe distance,  and hire for a set of roles they need to fill.

“With India being the world’s second-largest workforce, it can be a challenge to find the right hire, especially in the middle of a pandemic. In order to succeed we need to acknowledge that the things that matter to job seekers have changed. Employers have to reimagine their recruitment strategies to find great talent and create opportunities for growth. Indeed is constantly innovating to find new ways to improve, adapt and simplify the hiring process and VHE is a step in that direction. All of what we do is with the hope that we can help people get jobs and we are especially proud to have products and solutions for the recruiting market in India,” said Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed.com.

Employers identified virtual hiring as a more democratic approach towards recruitment:

Companies have shifted their focus to the future and need great talent to grow and achieve success. They’ve also had to reimagine their workplace practices, to stay relevant and attractive to job seekers today, including how they hire. 31% employers credited virtual hiring for giving them wider access to talent, while another 28% said this approach allowed for flexibility and convenience, a priority for job seekers today. Nearly 1 in 5 employers also said that virtual hiring reduced bias in the recruitment process.

Indeed’s Virtual Hiring Events can be used to connect with candidates at scale and hire for any role. Globally, where VHE is already helping revolutionize how companies hire, it has been observed that those looking to hire for many entry-level roles, those who need to make many hires across different roles in hospitality, food service, retail, and warehouse operations, and those looking for talent such as nursing, tend to be best suited for these events.

Closer home, Anjali Singh, Program Manager at Homelane, a participant at Indeed Showcase today and a pilot VHE user, shared, “With people spending more time at home, the demand for interior design solutions have grown, and so has the need to expand our team. Indeed was quick to set up a virtual hiring page for Homelane, and also helped optimize our hiring through targeted campaigns, making sure the right candidates reached out to us. Sure enough, our first hiring day was an enormous success. VHE offered great value to us and simplified the sourcing and interviewing process in these times where hiring virtually can be a challenge. We’ve held three more such sessions on Indeed and experienced similar success rates and believe this solution will be a game changer.”

Employers did not rely much on virtual hiring before the pandemic. Will that change?

Across organization types – large and medium Indian & global companies, SMEs and startups – more than 4 in 5 employers indicate that they started using virtual hiring only during the pandemic.

That said, more than one in four employers (26%) consider virtual hiring a novel and surprisingly effective experience, and another 22% believe that it is the right way forward, even while acknowledging its present challenges. And nearly two in every five employers believe virtual hiring is here to stay post pandemic.

The study further shows that sectors such as BPO/iTes (95%), Media & Entertainment (90%) and Telecom (87%) are embracing new age technologies and hiring mostly through virtual means while sectors dependent upon physical labour such as Construction & Real Estate (98%),  Manufacturing (97%),  Agriculture (95%) and Retail (93%) prefer face to face hiring methods only. Employers from the Financial Services (91%), Marketing & Advertising (89%) and Healthcare & Pharma (87%) prefer a more hybrid approach towards hiring. Regardless, putting a face to a name still seems important as virtual interviews/video conferencing (29%) emerged as the most favoured virtual hiring method by employers.

Those who host virtual hiring events, regardless of sector or location or organization type, will now be able to focus on the interviewing and hiring portion of the recruiting process since Indeed handles the event promotion on the its job site, uses automation to manage candidate screening and communication (RSVPs, scheduling and automated reminders), and provides the video interviewing technology, and be assured that job seekers will sign up to attend open virtual interviews hosted by them.

More information can be found here: 

https://www.indeedevents.com/en-in/indeedshowcase-india-120320