Software services, BPO/ITeS among top industries hiring entry level staff in India: Report

The Recruitment/Staffing industry leads in terms of the demand share (22%) for entry-level professionals in India, followed by Software Services (19%), BPO/ITeS (10%), Education (5%), and Healthcare (4%), according to a report released by foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME) Thursday.

The employment platform found that recruiters in the Indian IT industry are especially on the hunt for candidates adept in skills related to cloud computing, data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity but the recruiters also lay an equal emphasis on soft skills, communication, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking abilities.

Worryingly though, foundit while citing industry reports, stated that one in 10 graduates in India is unemployable due to a lack of industry-ready skills.

“Improved initiatives for skill development in the educational system can close the employability gap in the Indian market. The L&D (learning and development) initiatives of India Inc. have also been crucial in bridging the skill gap among freshers,” said Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit.

Foundit suggested that amidst disruptions in the market, the need for freshers to upskill and tune their digital skills in line with the industry is “more pertinent than ever”.

As for cities, Bengaluru accounts for the highest share (12.4%) of job postings for freshers and leads the chart in terms of average salary for freshers at 5.26 lakh per annum. Mumbai trails by a margin with a 12.1% share for freshers’ job posting.

The report added that fresher hiring was highest in metropolitan cities in India, with Delhi/NCR (9%), Pune (8%), Chennai (7%), and Hyderabad (7%) among the top locations hiring freshers.

In terms of average salary for freshers, Delhi/NCR ranks second with 4.48 lakh per annum. The national capital is followed by Chennai (4.43 lakh per annum), Mumbai (4.25 lakh per annum), Pune (4.02 lakh per annum), Kolkata (3.98 lakh per annum), and Coimbatore (3.45 lakh per annum).

Foundit, while citing data from its platform for paid internships also said that nearly a third of the total internship opportunities on the platform are for roles in the IT-Software, Software Services (35%) industry. Other industries with a large number of internship postings include Recruitment, Staffing (13% share), Retail (8% share), Advertising, MR, PR (7%) share), and BFSI (5% share).

Across locations, the highest demand for interns was reflected in Delhi/NCR (31% share). This was followed by Bengaluru (16% share), Mumbai (12% share), Pune (9% share), Hyderabad (8% share), and Chennai (7% share), it said.