Bangalore Demand for digital-savvy technology talent, especially in non-metro cities, is expected to grow rapidly in 2022, with the pandemic continuing to demand remote working and companies setting up smaller offices away from their headquarters .
The software-as-a-service unicorn Zoho Corp plans to hire around 1,000 people for its rural offices in India this year. This will be in addition to the 3,000 people hired by Zoho last year. The company has been focusing on bringing jobs to smaller towns since opening its first rural office in Tenkasi, a village in Tamil Nadu, in 2011.
“Recruiting in Tier-II and -III cities and rural areas does more than tap the talent base in these areas. It is about nurturing industry ready talent. We have been able to make this possible with the help of programs like Zoho School of Learning. We believe that these regions are rich with latent talent, just waiting for the opportunities that come their way,” said Mi Sohail, Head of Talent Acquisition, Zoho.
Pune-based software services firm Tech Mahindra Limited aims to double its talent base in digital technology through new hiring from Tier-II cities, apart from upskilling and hiring from its existing talent pool in India and abroad.
“We continue to focus on skills-based hiring in emerging technologies, including 5G, XDS, artificial intelligence, cloud, robotic process automation, blockchain, IoT and cyber security. Additionally, we work at all levels, especially in the pyramids. At the bottom, we are hiring to enhance the technical quotient of the firm and to retain our talent pool with new age technologies,” said Harshvendra Soin, Global Chief People Officer and Head, Marketing, Tech. Mahindra.
IBM Corp aims to expand its business in India by venturing into non-metro cities.
“In 2022, we are looking to accelerate the growth of our business in India with expansion and recruitment to cities beyond the metros, building our collaborations with leading educational institutions, investing in building a skilling agenda for our employees and creating the nation’s ‘Skill India’. ‘ Will continue with contributing. and the ‘Digital India’ mission,” said IBM India Managing Director Sandeep Patel.
Chennai-based human resource solutions firm Neyamo last year increased its workforce to 3,000, of which 80% belong to non-metro cities such as Madurai, Thanjavur, Nagpur, Belgaum and Aurangabad. NAYAMO is recruiting at all its centres, specifically Madurai and Nagpur, and aims to set up remote development centers in 20 Tier-II and Tier-III cities across India.
“Amazingly, young talent in Tier-II-III cities is not far behind in using digital platforms/courses to stay relevant in today’s market. Rangarajan Seshadri, CEO, NAYAMO, said, “It is our mission to provide maximum job opportunities to the talent pool available in these untapped cities across India.”
With talent attraction and retention remains a challenge for companies, people with specific skills will be in a position to earn much higher salaries.
Yashab Giri, Chief Commercial Officer, Staffing and Randstad Technologies, Randstad India, said, “We believe that the salaries of job seekers with specific skills will increase by 1.5 to 2 times compared to their peers.”
“Big data engineers, cloud architects, DevOps engineers, blockchain engineers, IoT architects and cybersecurity experts at all levels of expertise will be in great demand.”
Established IT companies will continue to expand their geographical footprint by moving beyond metros.
Due to the recent revolution in campus recruitment companies will start hiring freshers in non-metro cities through online platforms. Giri said, “Colleges in Tier-II and Tier-III cities are now connecting graduates to a variety of companies through online guest lectures and interview programs, providing opportunities for companies to hire talent in remote areas. Roads are opening up.
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