Senior professionals in India saw increased demand in January 2017, even as the overall hiring momentum slowed down by 4 percent in January 2017. Professionals with over 20 years of experience have been witnessing remarkable growth of about 10 percent since November 2016, reports the latest RecruiteX – the recruitment index by TimesJobs.
“Focus on Infrastructure, Technology and Manufacturing in the recently announced Finance Budget 2017 is likely to further boost the demand for senior professionals across these sectors. It is encouraging to note that the Finance Minister has also given a major push to the Skill India initiative, however, job-creation remains a big challenge,” says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions.
“Most jobs that are being created are at 10 to 15 thousand rupees, retail or a call centre level. But job opportunities remain scarce for highly skilled young engineers and technology professionals entering the workforce each year. We need to be able to offer them opportunities commensurate with their skills, for India to become a true knowledge economy,” adds Roy.
Key highlights:
Senior professionals in demand
The demand for professionals with over 20 years of experience reported a rise of 17 percent during January 2017. It is interesting to note that these senior professionals have seen a consistent 10 percent rise in demand in the last three months (Nov’16-Jan’17).
However, none of the other experience categories saw a rise in demand during the month. Demand for freshers posted a 10 percent drop in demand. This category of professionals with less than 2 years of experience has seen a 7 percent drop in the past three months.
See: Indian Government Launches Scheme to Train and Upskill Youth Seeking Jobs Abroad
Legal and law top hiring sectors
Law and Legal services were the top hiring sectors for the month, followed by the financial accounting sector. The legal and law industry posted a 20 percent rise in talent demand in January 2017.
The accounting sector also witnessed a 12 percent rise in talent demand during the month. The Media and Entertainment sector posted a 2 percent rise in demand, while IT and telecom sectors reported stable month-on-month demand.
Biotech and Pharma professionals in demand
Biotechnologists and pharmaceutical professionals saw a whopping 24 percent rise in demand in January 2017. These highly specialized niche professionals have witnessed an average rise of 10 percent in demand since November 2016.
In addition, as a result of increased hiring activity in the legal and law industry, demand for lawyers and legal professionals also grew by 21 percent in the month. Quality and process control professionals posted a 4 percent rise in talent demand, while professionals in petrochemicals, oil and gas domains saw a 3 percent rise in demand during the month.
Bengaluru witnesses growth in talent demand
Among metros, Bengaluru was the only metro to report growth (1 percent) in talent demand. The city has also posted an average rise of 2 percent in talent demand over the last three months.
Among other major locations, Chandigarh saw a 3 percent rise in talent demand, followed by Jaipur with a 2 percent rise. Arunachal Pradesh was the best performing state with a 12 percent rise in talent demand during January 2017.
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