NEW DELHI: An improving global economic sentiment and a rise in technology spend are expected to drive hiring in the Indian IT-BPM sector, pushing net hiring up 6 per cent this year, industry body Nasscom said.

The $118-billion IT-BPM sector employs about 5.5 million people, of which 3.1 million are direct employees. Announcing the findings of an HR survey, Nasscom said the Indian IT-BPM industry will increase its net hiring by approximately six per cent over last year.

"With a renewed focus on skills over building capacity, SMEs are expected to drive hiring with 7-8 per cent growth in headcount," it added.

The study also found that the industry is now focusing more on lateral hiring as there is a higher demand for niche technology skills and domain-specific capabilities.

Digital skills that pan across analytics, cloud, mobile and analytics are the key skills in demand by the industry. About 11-12 percent of employees in the sector are domain specialists.

"The future of the industry is in its talent with niche skills as they can match their capabilities with the strategic goals of their potential employer," Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar said.

The industry is also putting in place multiple solutions to address niche skill set requirements and is actively engaging with employees to build a strong entrepreneurial culture, he added.

Tata Consultancy Services is the top employee in the IT-BPM sector, followed by Infosys, Cognizant and Wipro, respectively. Other top employers include HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Capgemini, Genpact, Serco and Mphasis.

The industry employs over 170,000 foreign nationals and more than 65 percent of the employees are freshers and mid-management. Over 50 per cent are employees from tier II and III locations.

Also, close to 34 percent of the workforce are women, with a majority of them at entry level positions.
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