While COVID 19 ravages through the globe, it has not adversely affected recruitment as corporate hiring continues unaffected. Much like earlier businesses today also require new and talented employees to meet customer or product development needs. Employers are dealing with a wide range of employee needs and concerns as states, counties, and municipalities take different approaches to preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the latest edition of Indeed India Hiring Tracker, hiring in the organized sector increased by 11 percent in the second quarter of 2021.

Outstanding growth was seen in sectors such as information technology (61 percent), financial services (48 percent), and BPO/ITeS (47 percent), as the job market begins to recover from the Covid second wave. Large businesses continued to dominate hiring activity (59 percent of employers), while mid-sized businesses saw a decline in hiring (38 percent).

Bengaluru maintained its lead in hiring (56 percent), while Kolkata replaced Chennai at the bottom of the list (34 per cent).

The survey was conducted by Valuvox in June on behalf of online job board Indeed among 1,500 employees and 1,200 businesses in nine cities.Valuvox was founded and managed by a team of analytics professionals who founded and managed inTouch analytics, a niche predictive analytics services company. The product is a distillation of the team's experience over a time period.

The survey found that owing to rising Covid cases and partial lockdowns in Q1 FY22 allowed businesses to operate, focusing employers on roles driving sales and revenue – a shift from the focus in Q4 FY21 on operational roles to stabilize business operations.

Roles in high demand included sales coordinator (83percent of all employer respondents), relationship manager (77percent), digital marketer (69percent), UI/UX designer (61percent), and quality analyst (53percent).

The second wave's widespread impact resulted in understaffed teams and increased employee burnout. However, 76percent of those polled did not receive Covid-related benefits or compensation packages, nor did they receive mental health support.

Plans for appraisals were also impacted. Approximately 70percent of employees reported receiving no promotion or pay increase this quarter, with only 11percent of employers promoting or offering salary increases.

When it comes to future work models, employers and employees are not on the same page. While employers preferred a hybrid work model (42percent vs. 35percent for remote work), job seekers are more inclined towards remote work (46percent vs. a hybrid approach) (29 per cent).

Nearly 51percent of women and 29percent of men said they wanted to continue working from home, while 52percent of senior management preferred working from home, compared to 36percent of middle level and 31percent of junior level employees.

The number of job seekers and job changers increased slightly over the previous quarter (70 vs 68percent), with 52percent at the entry level, 44percent at the mid-level, and 18percent at the senior level.

Salary was the most important factor for 25percent of job seekers, followed by career growth (19percent), learning opportunities/challenges/responsibilities (16percent), and company reputation (16percent).

Startup-SME jobs were the most popular among postgraduates (44percent), as well as mid-level job seekers (42 per cent). While preference for roles in MNCs/large companies (43percent) was slightly higher in Q1 FY22 than in the previous quarter (38 per cent).

Commenting on the India Hiring Tracker, Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, Indeed India said, “As businesses continue to find a rhythm of working through multiple pandemic challenges, the tracker reflects the resilience of India’s labour market. With hiring activity seeing a month-on-month increase, it was interesting to see businesses pivot their hiring priorities from operation roles to sales roles. It’s also clear that paying attention to employee expectations will enable them to thrive, so ongoing conversations around wellbeing and hybrid work are vital.”

The second wave's widespread effects resulted in understaffed teams and increased employee burnout.

However, 76percent of those polled did not receive COVID-19-related benefits/compensation packages or mental health support.

Plans for appraisals were also impacted. According to the survey, 70percent of employees did not receive a promotion or pay increase this quarter. Only 11percent of employers in this region promote or offer salary increases.
All of these findings are critical for organizations planning for the future in terms of recruitment, employee wellness, and the implementation of hybrid work models as they adjust to the new normal.