Hope for more jobs in 2017
Amid global headwinds, cash-crunch and the ongoing revolution of automation, the Indian IT sector is witnessing a transformation. This is likely to spur gradual change in the skills required to generate more jobs
Automation in IT sector to revamp scope of jobs
BENGALURU/HYDERABAD:The Indian IT industry recorded an increase of nearly 10 percent growth this year and is expected to continue at the same pace in the coming year. The transformation in the IT/ITes sector, which is looking at more and more automation, is changing the scope of jobs in the sector. This metamorphosis is likely to create a new set of jobs in the industry giving rise to more job opportunities.
As IT hiring is becoming more and more specialised with companies looking for higher and greater levels of expertise. employees will have to continuously upgrade themselves and they will not be able to sustain with the current skill sets, according to industry experts.
Speaking to Express, Ashok Pamidi, Nasscom, Bengaluru said newer jobs have were being created because of automation. “These jobs are in Internet of Things, Design, Virtual reality among others. We could expect a lot more jobs in this sector.”
Ajay Kolla, Founder and CEO, Wisdomjobs.com observed that it was a strong year for the recruitment industry. “The recruitment industry saw another strong year. Hiring sentiments, and consequently recruitment budgets were higher in India as compared to global averages, and most employers continued to hire aggressively. That said, certain industries, notably the IT and the Banking industries are beginning to implement automation, and this is has seen their hiring levels stagnate to an extent. November and December did see a decline in hiring, partially due to the effects of demonetization.”
He added that the recruitment industry can be expected to see sustained growth since most sectors will continue hiring in numbers, at least in the first half of the year. “While companies might focus more on employer branding and referrals, other means of sourcing and hiring are still expected to see considerable traction.”
New skills required
The ongoing transformation of IteS/BPM industry will spur gradual change in the skills required, pointed out Nina Nair, VP and Head. HRD, India & Americas, [24]7 Inc. “With rapid digitization low complexity, repetitive jobs will be replaced by automation slowly. The industry is already seeing uptake for automation in certain areas such as virtual agents for customer service and Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in areas such as accounting, finance, claims processing etc. Automation will complement individuals who will be empowered by technology to do more complex jobs. Individuals have to take their skills up a notch by being tech-savvy, digitally dexterous, culturally sensitive, excellent communicators and be aware of the global developments.”
‘Legal support for employees’
While automation is being hailed for heralding a new era in the IT sector, employees find that some companies have been reckless with layoffs. “The automation process has slowed down the job growth and has led to job cuts. Several multinational companies have been laying off employees. The same issue will continue in 2017 too. We need to strengthen the legal support available for employees at such a time, as companies do not follow regulations during layoffs. Majority of the companies are also yet to implement the six-month paid maternity leave. Absence of this system also causes a lot of people to quit jobs. Ave the project in hand and are sure if it. Otherwise, people are hired and are kept on bench,” said Josy James, Joint secretary ITEC, Bengaluru (IT/ITES Employees Centre).