Overall hiring intention of IT employers drops 5 percentage points: Survey

Corporate India's hiring intention for IT professionals for the next two quarters shows a dip of 5 percentage points from what it was in the last six months, as demand for talent with new skill sets for the future is reshaping the tech job market, says a report.

According to the Experis IT Employment Outlook Survey (EITEOS), the overall IT hiring intention of Indian employers for the period between October 2019-March 2020 stood at 47.54 per cent, down from 53.41 per cent in the last six months.

"The entire landscape of the world of work is changing. Employers are looking for adaptability, critical thinking and leadership skills apart from technical skills. From the talent's perspectives, candidates are interested in making work, work for them," Manmeet Singh, President at Experis IT, ManpowerGroup India said.

Singh further noted that "the amalgamation of both is leading to the emergence of a job environment we have never seen. Dynamism and volatility are here to stay".

As per the report, the IT job market is gradually aligning with the megatrends of evolving technology, and a huge talent shortage can be expected by the year 2021, thanks to around 200,000 jobs in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.

The survey that reflects hiring sentiments of Indian IT professionals in both IT, non-IT organisations noted that IT services firms will remain the biggest employers of tech talent with an employment outlook of 21.61 per cent, while non-IT organisations expressed hiring intentions with an employment outlook of 13 per cent.

The report further noted that Indian IT companies intend to hire mostly freshers, up to five years experience.

A city-wise analysis showed that while major metros remain the hubs for tech talent, tier 2 cities are also coming up in attracting IT professionals.

"Employers in the tier 2 cities, especially in Jaipur, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar and Vishakhapatnam expressed strong intentions of hiring IT talent," it noted.

As per the report, while basic technology skills still remain the cornerstone for an IT professional, a supplemental balance of high cognitive skills, social intelligence and integrated thinking will meet the rising demand of employers at a time when the IT industry is witness hiring, albeit, at a comparatively lower rate.

The analysis of the survey data was based on parameters such as geography, level of experience, type and size of organisation, IT skills and practice areas. IT, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, BFSI are the sectors that have been broadly covered in this survey.

A sample population of 509 Indian employers (both IT and non-IT) was surveyed.