Hiring activity up 11% in June quarter amidst raging second wave of Covid

The growth was led by sectors like information technology, financial services and business process outsourcing and IT-enabled services companies. 

The second wave of the pandemic has had a minimal impact on hiring activity in the three months of April-June, which was up 11% versus January-March 2021.

The growth was led by sectors like information technology, financial services and business process outsourcing and IT-enabled services companies.

However, the growth was not broad-based as there were lesser number of companies hiring this quarter versus the March ended quarter.

IT sector, which has been leading the pack on hiring since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic recorded a growth of 61% quarter-on-quarter. This was followed by hiring in the financial services sector which was up 48% q-o-q, and BPO/ITeS up 47% sequentially, according to global jobs portal Indeed’s ‘India Hiring Tracker’.

The quarter also marked a shift in the companies approach to talent, as the focus moved from just operating business to also garnering sales and revenues. As a result, there was a boom in sales and marketing roles during the quarter. Roles such as sales coordinator saw a growth of 83% sequentially, relationship manager 77%, digital marketer 69%, UI/UX Designer 61%, and quality analyst at 53%.

Large businesses continued to dominate hiring activity with 59% of employers in that category said they were hiring, while hiring by mid-sized businesses saw a decline. Overall, fewer surveyed employers hired between April and June at 41% compared with 64% in January-March. Bangalore led the hiring momentum with 56%)and Kolkata replacing Chennai at the bottom of the hiring list at 34%.

However, working environments suffered due to severity of the second wave resulting in staff crunch and increased employee burnout. Of the jobseekers surveyed, 76% did not receive Covid-related benefits or compensation packages or mental health support.

Appraisal plans were also impacted as 70% of employees said that they did not receive any promotion or pay increase in the June quarter, with only 11% of employers promoting or offering salary increases.

Sashi Kumar, head of sales, Indeed India said, “With hiring activity seeing a month-on-month increase, it was interesting to see businesses pivot their hiring priorities from operation roles to sales roles. It’s also clear that paying attention to employee expectations will enable them to thrive, so ongoing conversations around wellbeing and hybrid work are vital.”