Demand for Digital skills ascending with data analytics witnessing over 450% increase: Quess Report

Upskilling across industries has been a strategy adopted by companies over the last year to bridge the emerging skill gap in India. Data from Quess, business solutions provider, reveals that the demand for talent with digital skills such as Testing, Platform Technologies, Java Technologies, Cloud Infra Technologies, and Data Analytics, among others, has seen a surge since last quarter.

Although growth in demand has risen in absolute numbers, the rate of increase from June-July-August 2021 has been steady. Nevertheless, the skill-mix contributing the highest demand continues to be volatile.

The search for top tech talent this year has unfurled into an unprecedented battle, reflecting the accelerated adoption of digital business models in organisations industry-wide. Technology giants as well as start-ups are witnessing double-digit growth and are ramping up their teams by employing more people than ever before, to combat rising attrition and meet their manpower needs amidst the ‘Great Resignation’.

Staffing and recruitment firms are in great demand as organisations seek to fulfil their manpower mandates of resources with niche and super-niche tech skill sets. As per a report by market intelligence firm UnearthInsight, India’s IT services industry is likely to see a gross employee addition of around 450,000 in the second half of FY22. To service this workforce pipeline, unique talent solutions are being devised to ensure shorter time-to-hire and greater cost optimisation.

Top five Digital Skills in Demand

The top five digital skill domains in demand in Sept-Oct-Nov 2021 are Testing, Platform Technologies, Java, Cloud Infra, and Data Analytics. In Sept-Oct-Nov 2021, the role of Testing has seen a ↑18 per cent increase in the total number of open positions, compared to Jun-Jul-Aug 2021, bringing it to the top of the list for digital skills in demand. Platform Technologies come in at the second highest position in demanded roles, with a small decrease in demand from the previous time period. Similarly, Java Technologies continue to be in the top five list and exponential growth in demand for roles in Cloud Infra (↑131 per cent) and Data Analytics (↑454 per cent) has been witnessed.

The overall demand for digital skills in 2021 (Apr-Nov ’21) is largely consistent with the demand during Sept-Nov ’21. The top digital skill domains for Apr-Nov 2021 are Testing (12 per cent), Java (10 per cent), Platform Technologies (nine per cent), Cloud Infra (five per cent), Database Technologies (five per cent), Business Analysts (four per cent) and Data Analytics (three per cent). A city-wise break-up highlights that the IT hubs reigned supreme: Bengaluru leading the pack (40 per cent), followed by Hyderabad (20 per cent).

Vijay Sivaram, CEO, Quess IT Staffing commented, “As the great resignation moves towards a great migration, the talent market will undergo a great deal of changes. With the slow opening of borders, we expect to see more opportunities arising in Tier 2 cites. Talent may also leave the country, as international borders open and give way to lucrative offers. However, with Omicron playing spoilsport, the industry’s back-to-office plans have been foiled.

 Further, with the fresher talent pool being trained to enter the workforce, the hiring curve has become steeper. Today, campus hiring programs for not only Tier 1 but also Tier 2 colleges are a significant aspect of talent acquisition strategies. This shift in candidate profile and experience will result in a notable transition of teams.

 In terms of retention strategies, organisations will continue to focus on employee experience management and develop employee programs that circle around learning, benefits, and culture in 2022. Now more than ever, talent attraction is a key strategy in board rooms, with strategists seeking new models of manpower fulfillment. Thus, we see a rise in demand for contract hiring, the gig work model, and hire-train-deploy programs. Further, with the demand for recruiters continuing to surge upwards, the RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) model is more in demand than ever before.”