The Indian IT industry has acquired an enviable position in the global platform. In a matter of two decades, the country has slowly emerged and cemented its position on the world map. However, the hiring trends for the past few years have registered a slowdown, which sparked fears and general unrest. Fortunately, the hiring trends in India for 2019 point at clearer skies.
Indian IT Industry Growth: The Story So Far
The 1990s marked a new dawn for the Indian IT Industry post the government’s decision for liberalisation. Following this, the IT sector exported $100 million and 5,000 employees for the first time. With time, the Indian IT Industry registered a phenomenal growth. Currently, India’s IT export has touched $70 billion along with 2.8 million employees – making it one of the top two industries in India.
The IT Industry in Numbers
- The IT Industry corresponded to nearly 18% of India’s GDP in 2017.
- In 2017, the IT Industry employed about 4 million professionals directly and nearly 10 million employees indirectly.
- TCS, HP, HCL Technology, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, IBM, and Infosys are the leading software service companies in the Indian IT sector
- With a revenue of about 1.5 trillion INR, TCS emerged as the largest India-based IT company.
- By the end of March 2019, TCS noted a net addition of 29,287 software professionals, while Infosys added 24,016 employees.
- India’s IT workforce is set to touch 30 million by 2020 as it becomes the highest sector employer.
2019: Latest Changes in Hiring Trends in IT
While the hiring trends for the Indian IT industry may not register exponential growth as in the case of the initial IT boom, it is set to stabilize in 2019. Technology like Artificial Intelligence and automation has increased the demand for talent acquisition and major IT companies are hiring to be future-ready.
According to a report published by Experis, the following shifts in hiring trends come to light:
- India’s IT Industry is offering a Net Employment Outlook of 53.14% and is projected to grow further. The IT sector will continue to be the major hirer for 2019.
- With regard to experience, companies are hiring freshers with candidates falling within the 0-5 years’ experience category. Entry-level hiring has increased by 12.5% in 2019.
- Of all the regions surveyed, Southern India provides the strongest labor market with an employment outlook of 24%.
- Companies are hiring an agile workforce that focuses on the latest technology like the Internet of Things, Data Science, Digital Marketers, Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Solution Architects, Product Managers, cybersecurity, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, among others.
- Non-tech firms are also looking for hiring IT professionals to help with digitization.
Overview of Staffing Trends and Career Goals
Given that IT hiring trends are moving towards a multi-dimensional approach, the staff requirements for companies and the career goals for aspirants should prepare for the following:
- Rise in Demand for Talent
Globally, IT companies are experiencing a high turnover rate (employees leaving for newer and better opportunities). The same trend reflects in the Indian IT sector, which indicates a rise in the demand for talent.
- Developers Will Have an Advantage in the Talent Market
Those pursuing a career in software engineering will continue to rule the roost as hey draw the highest salary through 2019. The following roles are highly in demand:
- Platform developer.
- Mobile developer.
- Web developer.
- Desktop developer.
Emerging Technologies Could Dictate Hiring
While companies are on the lookout for people skilled in emerging technologies, they may also recruit the very same technology to hire staff. For example, artificial intelligence could help determine which candidate would be more suitable for a certain position.
Final Thoughts
Hiring in India’s IT companies is registering a slow but definite growth. The key driver in this trend are technological upgrades and the adoption of new technologies. The $177 billion industry is evolving at a terrific pace and is expected to hire a record number of employees in the near future.
