Indian professionals focus on upskilling for job opportunities post-Covid

A significant number of Indian professionals are focusing on sharpening their soft skills like communication and virtual presentation to adapt themselves to the changing talent landscape in a post-COVID-19 world, says a survey.

According to the survey by Talent500 by ANSR that covered 20,000 tech professionals to get insights into the current recruitment scenario in India, a significant number of job seekers said the current process of hiring is complex and lacks clarity.

Over 54 per cent respondents reported lack of transparency and delays in communication as the main reasons for keeping them away from pursuing open opportunities in a company, the survey noted.

Talent500 by ANSR is a career accelerator for the top 10 per cent of tech professionals and the exclusive talent acquisition partner for Fortune 500 companies and global capability centers (GCCs) in India.

As per the survey, 98 per cent of the respondents are actively upskilling to stay ahead of the curve in a post-COVID-19 world.

Around 56 per cent of professionals leverage free as well as paid upskilling platforms in order to carve themselves into a suitable candidate for large enterprises.

Further, 70 per cent respondents feel that changing times call for a newer approach in order to market themselves better.

The biggest takeaway of the survey is the emergence of the 'gig economy' in talent as 56 per cent respondents expressed interest in pursuing gig-based or remote work.

There is a growing demand amongst top professionals to have more control over their lifestyle. Working with flexible schedules, ability to work with multiple clients, and different learning opportunities are the key reasons for this emerging trend, the survey noted.

"India's top professionals are aware of the complex and uncertain environment and are already thinking of ways to prepare themselves in a post-COVID world," Vikram Ahuja, Co-Founder of Talent500, said.

Ahuja further said "a renewed focus on upskilling and an increasing demand for gig-based roles shows that the mindset of talent is changing. This will require enterprises to rethink their traditional recruiting models and employ simpler and more flexible approaches to engage with the top talent today."

Talent500 surveyed over 20,000 active tech professionals in the market to understand the good, bad, and ugly of the current recruitment processes and their pursuit of the perfect career opportunity in a post-COVID-19 world.