NASSCOM Launches Talent Demand Supply Report for IT-BPM industry

With a focus on bridging the employability gaps within the industry, NASSCOM's IT-ITeS Sector Skills Council  (SSC NASSCOM) announced the launch of the India IT-BPM Industry Talent Demand and Supply Report 2016. The report highlighted the requirement of introducing planned skill sets at an academic level to prepare job ready graduates for the industry, with the talent requirement shifting from ‘academic qualification’ based hiring to ‘skill, knowledge and expertise’ based hiring.

Technology adoption is becoming more pervasive and is leading to rising demand for talent from multiple industries. This has implications for skills required in growing in-demand job roles such as Data Scientists, Automation, Embedded Software Engineers, Digital Transformation, IOT, etc. While certain traditional skills like Java, Web Development and Database Management remain high in demand, requirement of new digital skills such as mobile, cloud, analytics (Hadoop) and cyber security is increasing. This development has created the requirement for SSC NASSCOM and IT-BPM companies to introduce these skill-sets at academic level to prepare industry ready professionals.

Dr. Sandhya Chintala, Vice President NASSCOM and Executive Director IT ITeS Sector Skills Council NASSCOM said, “With disruptions and shifting customer preferences changing technology and skill sets in demand there is a rise in new job roles and occupations; skill sets are rapidly emerging as must haves for current and prospective tech employees. While SSC NASSCOM has initiated and nurtured a slew of initiatives to grow India’s digital talent, rapid and Integrated stakeholder action is required to create a future ready workforce for the IT and ITeS industry in India.”

At USD 143 billion, India is the world’s largest global sourcing destination, with 56 per cent share globally. Boasting a diverse industry structure, the sector comprises 16,000 firms: 1,000+ GIC/MNCs and 4,200+ tech startups, and represents the 3rd largest entrepreneurship hub in the world. To create a sustainable pipeline for industry-ready talent, the IT-ITeS Sector Skills Council was set up in 2012 by NASSCOM in association with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The council is the standard setting and certifying body for skill training for the domain. The SSC has since completed a mapping of more than 517 job roles in the industry with career paths defined from entry level to department heads / CXOs. Furthermore, the body has also created Qualification Packs (QPs) – standards for 74 entry level job roles that define the requisite activities expected to be performed by professionals on the job along with the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to carry out the role effectively.

India is currently the world’s largest global sourcing destination with around 3.7 million people directly employed by the IT ITeS industry. The report also mentioned that with industry hiring models expected to change the next USD 100 billion revenues would require 1.2-2 million professionals.