Hiring witnessed a 34 per cent spike in 2021 over the previous year and the robust momentum is set to continue into 2022 with a 31 per cent rise in hiring levels across seven key industries, signalling an economic bounce back despite the pandemic’s continuing threat, according to a study by digital recruitment platform Taggd.

For 2022, Internet businesses lead the pack of industries with the highest intent to hire at 55 per cent, followed by automotive and IT/Tech industries at 40 per cent, according to Taggd's annual Decoding Jobs Industry Sectoral Reports 2022 conducted in association with CII and Sunstone Eduversity. Core industries, BFSI, pharma & healthcare, manufacturing/engineering occupy the other slots. The report also pointed out that Global In-House Centers in India are expected to post 31 per cent growth in 2022 compared to 27 per cent growth in the previous year.

AI & Machine Learning, User Experience Design, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Data Sciences are the top technical skills in demand, while adaptability & flexibility, problem solving, stress management and emotional intelligence are the top soft skills.

The year is also set to bring cheer for early career professionals (0-5 years of experience) as more than half the hires (56 per cent ) are expected to be in this age bracket.

One of the biggest lessons most companies learnt in 2021 is that cutting down on hiring or letting go of staff is not the answer to dealing with the pandemic. Employers have realised flexibility in hours and environment is the key to retain talent and maintain productivity, the report said, pegging 23 per cent of the workforce to be working remotely in 2022 across sectors. Around 75 per cent will work in a hybrid set up in the coming year. IT and tech lead the pack with 60 per cent to be working remotely, while Internet businesses and e-commerce coming a close second at 50 per cent in remote or hybrid.

Indicating other shifts in the jobs landscape, the report said at least 20 per cent of the workforce will operate through contractual or gig work, with gig work alone accounting for 9 per cent. This number was 8 per cent last year. Besides, nearly half of the new hires (47 per cent) are expected to be from non-Tier 1 cities. “The future looks bright for India Inc in 2022. Our data shows that hiring in 2021 increased by 34 per cent over 2020, with sectors such as manufacturing and automotive showing recovery, and we expect it to increase further by 31 per cent in 2022. While we did witness some obstacles in the form of the ongoing tech talent crunch, skills gaps, and the Great Resignation, we’ve bounced back stronger with most sectors exhibiting a greater appetite for hiring in 2022.,” said Devashish Sharma, President, Taggd.

The survey includes primary insights from 200+ large enterprises across sectors employing more than 5 lakh people. Qualitative insights were drawn from industry-specific roundtables with talent leaders, said Taggd.