For skilled technology professionals who have been laid off, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Amid massive layoffs by global tech firms, hiring of IT talent is on the rise at non-tech companies as they continue with their digital transformation efforts triggered during the pandemic.
This year, HR services firm Randstad anticipates a 25-30% growth over last year in terms of demand for tech talent in non-tech sectors as they continue to digitise their operations and strive to achieve higher scalability.“The widespread adoption of digital technologies has driven non-tech industries, including BFSI, healthcare, automotive, manufacturing and FMCG, to hire more tech professionals to ensure data security, information processing and reduce consumer grievances. This rapid shift to digital operations has created a demand for tech talent in non-tech fields, leading to a significant increase in tech hiring that has remained strong despite the ongoing pandemic recovery,” said Sanjay Shetty, director, Professional Search & Selection and Strategic Accounts, Randstad India.
Moreover, many companies are looking to automate daily processes to better manage the new-age workforce and offer growth opportunities to their top talent, said Shetty. “Moving forward through 2023, we anticipate product design, data science, big data, mobile app development, network upgrade and migration, enterprise private 5G, IoT, mobility, network infrastructure, cyber security, blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc, to be the hottest in-demand skills,” he added.
According to the latest Naukri JobSpeak index, non-IT sectors are off to a “flying start”, recording a double-digit growth at the beginning of 2023. The most prominent is the insurance sector, which has recorded a 93% growth. The other non-IT industries that recorded an upward trend in hiring activity include oil (55%), hospitality (53%), banking (37%), real estate (31%), auto (29%), BPO (16%) and healthcare (10%).
Global job site Indeed’s latest report has shown that healthcare allied fields such as nursing and dental saw the highest job posting at 30.8% on the site in December 2022. These were followed by food services (8.8%), construction (8.3%), architecture (7.2%), education (7.1%), therapy (6.3%), and marketing (6.1%), among others. The report noted that the relative resurgence of business normalcy in a post pandemic world has brought buoyancy back in sectors like construction and civil engineering.
Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director and CEO of CIEL HR Services, concurs with the view that there is a growing demand for tech talent in non-tech sectors as technology and digital transformation are changing the way businesses operate and compete. “Non-tech companies are increasingly adopting and integrating technology into their operations and products, leading to a growing need for tech talent,” he said.
“The increased innovation in non-tech sectors such as electric vehicles in the automobile sector; increased use of AI and automation in healthcare; optimisation of processes in sectors such as transportation, manufacturing and infrastructure have led to an increase in demand for tech talent in these sectors. Adoption of the 5G network has created a demand for talent across telecom, semiconductor, tech giants, startups, and automotive sectors,” said Mishra.