Hiring activity may rise in 2018 on robust economic growth: report

Mumbai: Hiring activity in the country is likely to be get a boost this year in key sectors such as manufacturing, technology, renewable energy, among others, due to robust economic growth, said a report.

Bolstered by the economic growth observed in 2017, talent acquisition witnessed an uptick across several sectors, according to recruitment firm Michael Page India.

"With the Indian government constantly pushing reforms to receive economic growth through proactive measures, we are anticipating these optimistic trends to continue across the key sectors," its managing director Nicolas Dumoulin said.

The report, Employment Outlook 2018, has compiled employment figures from its database in the last 12 months.

The government is set to upgrade industries such as manufacturing, infrastructure, logistics & warehousing, technology and renewable energy, and the report anticipates large-to-steady hiring activities within these spaces in 2018.

The government projects have drawn the attention of foreign investors, according to the report, and many international companies are willing to set up manufacturing operations in India.

"We estimate a noticeable upsurge in recruitment activities as an outcome of new companies building their teams in India," it said.

"Further, the ongoing discourse on technology will bring about more opportunities for our clients, while leveraging technology in the recruitment processes will see a rise in 2018," it added.

From a talent perspective, Michael Page said using artificial intelligence-based applications will expedite the recruitment processes, and also allow recruiters to focus on more complex tasks. Meanwhile, high demand for sales and marketing roles will continue into 2018.

"Sales professionals with good leadership skills will be in demand across industries, while in marketing, professionals with experience in consumer, digital, and sales-enablement will be highly sought after," it said.

Michael Page highlighted that the hiring sentiment across finance functions has strengthened with the continuing emphasis on 'ease of doing business' in India.

With investments in 2018, pouring in from private equity firms in infrastructure, energy, and e-commerce spaces, the recruitment firm expects to see increased demand for finance candidates in these sectors, with strong focus on fund raising and investor relations experience.