Enterprises went into the lockdown with uncertainties over the return and recovery of business. Different functions across the organizations are calibrated to find an alternate equilibrium. The recruitment functions of large and medium enterprises also moderated accordingly. The direction seemed to be to keep the hiring funnel warm and not let it stop entirely. Despite the reduction in overall hiring activity by 30% – 40%, the month of April reported close to 200k active job openings. However, further down the lockdown period, the active openings showed a gradual reduction. The total active jobs dropped from 200K in April to 178K by mid-May, and the closing figures hovered at 167K by the end of May 2020.
These are jobs from direct employers that are active and accepting applications. The active job postings are tracked and curated from companies’ official job pages on LinkedIn and direct postings on top job boards. This does not account for hiring mandates that may be imposed by recruitment and staffing agencies.
Post Lockdown Lifting
The second half of May, when businesses did a staggered return to work, recorded over 76k active jobs. Contributing to about 46% of total openings for the month of May, the period post-lifting of lockdown stands a tad lower in volume than the previous half.
This marginal reduction in numbers is an indication of a near-term calibration of hiring plans. Having been in the lockdown for nearly 10 weeks, businesses have garnered sufficient indicators for business performance. Also, downstream recruitment activities related to offers and onboardings have noticeably slowed down in this period. With more job requirements currently in the WIP state, the need to moderate hiring numbers is driving the current trend.
Job Types
43% of full-time job openings were posted in the second half of the month. In contrast, internship and part-time roles saw a higher share of postings compared to the first half. As a result, full-time jobs made up 84% of total listings after the lockdown was lifted, slightly lower than the overall share of 90%. There’s also a noticeable rise in remote and work-from-home job openings. Additionally, more companies are now posting internships and gig opportunities on public platforms, showing a steady increase in these types of roles.
Jobs by Levels
In the second half of May, 27% of active job postings were for entry and junior-level roles, while 38% were for mid to mid-senior level positions. With nearly 1,700 senior and leadership roles also open during this time, it’s clear that companies are continuing to hire across all experience levels.
Jobs by Industries
During this period, IT Services job openings surpassed those in Software Enterprises. This marks an interesting shift from the usual trend, where pure IT roles typically take the lead. In the second half of May, 36% of active listings came from the IT Services sector, compared to 34% from IT and Software. The BFSI sector followed in third place, accounting for 16% of the active job openings after the lockdown was lifted.
Jobs by Functions
Technology and Engineering roles made up 65% of job openings after the lockdown was lifted, slightly down from 68% earlier. Meanwhile, functions like Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Operations maintained their usual share. Although the total number of active openings has decreased, the overall functional mix of job opportunities has remained largely unchanged.
Jobs by Location
The share of job opportunities across the top five metro cities remained mostly unchanged after the lockdown. Bengaluru and Hyderabad saw a slight increase of 2% each, while Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai maintained their previous contribution levels.
Prominent Employers
Leading IT and IT Services employers such as IBM, Accenture India, Mphasis, and Amazon had active job openings during this period. With a broader reopening of businesses expected from June 1st, hiring activity is likely to pick up pace. Job postings could rebound towards the 200,000 mark in the next 6 to 8 weeks.
