BENGALURU: India may produce millions of engineers and B-school graduates every year, but according to a recent survey, the IT sector is wrestling with a dearth of skilled manpower for top-of-the-line tech jobs. The NxtGen Whitepaper, published by Manipal ProLearn, shows that for every 10 job roles that require Data Scientists, only four candidates are available to fill in those roles.
The survey was conducted across India and 45 per cent respondents stated that roles such as mobile developers, UX/UI designers, data scientists and software architects, are difficult to fill.
Nikhitha Simon, an HR professional at TCS, Bengaluru, said, “There is a skill shortage in the market. They complete the task, but the level of quality in their work is decreasing.”
According to Dr Yogesh Kumar Bhatt, vice president, Education and Training at Manipal ProLearn, Bengaluru constitutes about 35 per cent of the IT workforce in India. This makes the survey’s applicability more crucial to the city. “Bengaluru hosts one of the largest start-up ecosystems in the country. These start-ups are pioneers in adopting advanced technologies like AI, Blockchain and VR. Companies need more focused approach towards skill development.”
The data revealed suggests that the number of active candidates present is less than half the demand needed. Sudheendra MG, a senior HR and recruitment management professional and the branch manager of Fact Personnel Pvt Ltd, said, “The opportunities are increasingly proportionate to the number of job seeking candidates. However, the candidates are not well-equipped with required skill sets; they even fail in the first round of selection process. Here, the main problem is many of the job seekers lack sufficient practical exposure.”