'Hiring activity grew 2 per cent sequentially on demand in retail, agro-based industries in December'
MUMBAI: Hiring activity in December 2021 showed a marginal growth of two per cent compared to the previous month, mainly on positive demand in retail and agro-based industries, according to a report.
December 2021 saw a monthly rise of 2 per cent in hiring activity compared to the previous month as retail and agro-based industries witnessed a positive incline of 12 per cent on account of multi-channel approaches, technological adoption and government initiatives, according to the Monster Employment Index, a report by Monster.com, a Quess company.
However, demand for talent surged 12 per cent year-on-year in December 2021, compared to the same month in 2020, showcasing an optimistic recovery cycle at the close of the year, the report added. The report showed that month-on-month, the demand for roles in healthcare witnessed a surge of 6 per cent on account of rising COVID-19 cases in the country, while roles in HR and admin (5 per cent) and finance and accounts (4 per cent) also saw an uptick.
Further, it is quite encouraging to note that the demand for entry-level and intermediate roles saw the highest monthly growth at 2 per cent compared to other experience levels, it added.
"Hiring numbers from the close of 2021 have certainly brought about a strong sense of hope and recovery across sectors. The retail industry has bounced back in December with rapid tech advancements, and we expect accelerated growth in the sector going forward. It is also quite encouraging to see tier-II cities revive and function alongside metros," Monster.com CEO Sekhar Garisa said.
Given the spike in COVID-19 cases, there has been a rise in job postings for healthcare professionals in India. However, Monster. com remains cautiously optimistic on the growth of the Indian recruitment space in 2022, keeping in mind the possible impact of Omicron on the job market, he added.
The Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive analysis of the online job posting activity every month conducted by Monster India. Meanwhile, the report stated that with the adoption of multi-channel approaches and enabling technologies, the retail (12 percent) industry leads the way to recovery with the highest month-on-month growth in hiring intent.
Agro-based industries (12 percent) also projected positive growth trends, aided by government initiatives to strengthen agri-technology, it said. FMCG, food and packaged food (7 per cent), printing and packaging (7 percent), and banking, financial services & insurance (5 per cent) industries showcased positive month-on-month uptick.
Industries such as real estate (6 per cent), which witnessed a spike in demand for office spaces, healthcare, biotechnology and life sciences, pharmaceuticals (4 per cent) and IT-hardware, software (3 per cent) revived in December compared to the previous month.
On the other hand, the telecom/ISP (-9 per cent) and engineering, cement, construction, iron/steel (-7 per cent) sectors showed the steepest monthly decline in job postings, followed by shipping/ marine, logistics, courier/ freight/ transportation, travel and tourism, and education marking a 1 per cent decline in job posting activity, respectively, the report stated.
Positively, 11 out of 13 cities monitored by the Monster Employment Index showed an optimistic outlook towards growth with Bengaluru (5 per cent), Mumbai (4 per cent), Delhi-NCR (4 per cent), Hyderabad (4 per cent), Pune (3 per cent), and Kolkata (3 per cent).
Chennai also saw growth of 3 per cent, Kochi (3 per cent), Jaipur (3 per cent), Coimbatore (2 per cent) and Ahmedabad (1 per cent) looking up, while Chandigarh witnessed stabilised growth. As these cities saw dips in hiring activity in the previous month, it is reassuring to note this positive incline in December 2021, the report noted.
The demand for talent in tier-II cities is estimated to improve in the coming months, with companies switching back to remote working in light of employee safety amidst rising COVID-19 cases, it observed. However, Baroda (-1 per cent) continued to show a month-on-month slight decline in hiring activity, mainly due to the dip in the media and entertainment (-24 per cent) industry across the city, it added.