Employers keen to hire more freshers

Employers’ intent to hire freshers during January-June 2022 has shot up to 47%, compared to only 17% in July-December 2021, the third edition of the Career Outlook Report by TeamLease EdTech has revealed. India outperforms other geographical regions across the world significantly for the current half year, with 47% of all companies surveyed across the country intending to hire freshers during this period, compared to a global average of only 7%, says the survey shared exclusively with ET.

The optimism in hiring activity, which also reflected in a record placement season across campuses this year, is a sign of not just the rebounding economy but also employers‘ confidence in hiring new resources and strengthening their talent pipeline.

The hiring intent across all categories of job seekers in India – fresh or experienced – has risen to 50% from 31% over the same duration.

“Despite the continued challenges of the pandemic, the inclination of companies to hire freshers continues to be on an upward trajectory. The overall jump in hiring sentiment is a reflection of this growth. The economic revival and focus on growth are the key reasons driving the upbeat movement,” said Shantanu Rooj, CEO, TeamLease EdTech.

The top three sectors that intend to hire freshers during the coming six months include information technology: 57% (proportion of all IT employers surveyed), telecommunications: 43% (proportion of all telecommunications employers surveyed) and e-commerce & technology startups: 41% (proportion of all Ecommerce & Technology Start-ups employers surveyed).

Bengaluru (59%) leads among the cities intending to hire freshers in the January-June 2022 period, followed by Mumbai (43%) and Delhi (39%) respectively. Cities that saw a dip in intent to hire freshers during this period were Pune, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Indore and Coimbatore.

Top job roles freshers can expect to be employed in are digital marketing executive, artificial intelligence engineer, technical writer, full stack developer and supply chain analyst. Top domain skills employers expect freshers to possess are data analytics, investment banking, cyber security, AR/VR and Content writing.

Interestingly, technical skills apart, companies are now also looking for candidates with such skills as analytical thinking and innovation, stress management, communication skills, emotional intelligence and positive attitude. “We have seen an interesting shift over the last few years. Today soft skills are receiving the same level of attention,” says Neeti Sharma, president of TeamLease Edtech.