IT companies to boost hiring in April-September period post last year's relaxed pace, says survey

New Delhi: Hiring plans of the Indian IT companies will edge up during the April-September period as labour market outlook is optimistic, says a survey. Indian IT employers will continue to be net hirers in the next two quarters, according to the IT employment outlook survey conducted by Experis IT – ManpowerGroup India. The survey of Indian IT employers across India indicates that IT hiring intentions will edge up for the period April-September 2018, it said. Labour market outlook is quite optimistic and therefore, IT professionals can expect reasonable opportunities, the survey said. “Our research findings clearly indicate the intention towards recruiting millennials for the new age technology disruption that the world is seeing today. With the rapid pace of technology adoption, organizations need pre-trained agile workforce that is productive from day one. [caption id=“attachment_3812449” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Agencies[/caption] “There remains a significant skill gap between the desired and the actual hands-on IT professionals, lack of available skillsets being the major roadblock,” said Manmeet Singh, President, Experis, ManpowerGroup India. Indian IT employers express an upturn in their hiring intentions as they turn the corner post last year’s relaxed phase. The survey has reported a positive net employment outlook of over 52 percent for the period April – September 2018. Major hiring is expected to happen for the junior and mid-level while contemplating minimal jobs in the senior slab, the survey said. “With bullish hiring sentiments for the upcoming two quarters, the Indian IT companies are changing their core strategy with the vision to get new blood and fresh ideas in the technology ecosystem,” it added. Majority of the employers said they want trained freshers in the system, most companies will secure at least 5 percent of their jobs for trained IT grads. While most of the companies are now looking for that fresh talent in the market that is up-skilled already with the latest technologies and is ready to hit the ground, a lot of companies still want candidates with 1-2 years of experience, the Experis survey said. with more than 100 employees reported highest hiring intention for the upcoming 6 months with a net employment outlook of over 27 percent. The IT companies contribute substantially to employment in India as the industry has an ever growing set of start-ups (5,000-5,200) and many of these are working on very niche technologies – AI, blockchain, robotics, among others.