India needs 22 mn skilled workers in 5G focussed industries by 2025: TSSC

But only 40% of Indian graduates in computer science, IT, and math are employable in tech sector

India will require 22 million skilled workers in 5G-focused industries by 2025 in areas such as cloud computing, robots, and the Internet of Things (IoT), according to a report by the Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC).

Released at the ongoing seventh edition of the India Mobile Congress, the report stated that India is the only country expected to have a surplus of skilled labour, with 1.3 million workers in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) sector by 2030.

At present, the total number of employees in the industry stands at 11.59 million, comprising 2.95 million corporate talent and 8.24 million blue-collar workers. Across the top 15 streams, network operation and maintenance, and project engineering have the most corporate talent, while network operation and maintenance as well as sales and distribution service segments have the highest number of blue-collar workers.

 

The report underlined that India currently faces a telecom demand-supply gap of 2.41 million, a figure expected to rise 3.8 times by 2030. The main challenge is that only 40 per cent of India's graduates in computer science, information technology and maths are employable in the technology sector, due to a mismatch between academic standards and industry needs.

"The telecom sector is the third-largest industry in India, accounting for roughly 6.5 per cent of all Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow. By 2027, India is expected to make up 11 per cent of all 5G subscriptions globally. The country has a good chance of closing the widening demand-supply gap by 2030 with the proper reskilling and hiring strategies, targeting adjacent talent in Tier-II and Tier-III cities as well as university supply," said Arvind Bali, chief executive officer of Telecom Sector Skill Council.

TSSC, an industry-led body, was jointly established by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to ensure an adequate supply of skilled labour, thereby boosting growth and productivity in the telecom sector.

As technology advances into the Web 3.0 era, the proportion of software in the telecom sector is set to triple, the report noted.

Trends suggest that, with the aid of artificial intelligence, even more powerful 6G network technologies will emerge by 2023. By harnessing the value of IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the Metaverse, and 6G, the telecom and tech sectors stand to make significant gains.