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Automation hits IT hiring
Here is bad news for those who are aspiring to become software professionals. With major software companies adopting cutting-edge technologies, including automation and machine-to-machine tools, hiring in the information technology (IT) sector is likely to fall by up to 20 per cent during the current financial year.
Hyderabad: Here is bad news for those who are aspiring to become software professionals. With major software companies adopting cutting-edge technologies, including automation and machine-to-machine tools, hiring in the information technology (IT) sector is likely to fall by up to 20 per cent during the current financial year.
“The Indian software industry hired about 2 lakh people in 2015-16. My belief is that it will be in the range of 1.6 lakh to 1.7 lakh during the current fiscal. That means a 15-20 per cent drop in new recruitments,” said B V R Mohan Reddy, former Chairman of software industry body Nasscom and Executive Chairman of Cyient Limited.
Attributing this drop to a fairly large amount of automation that has come into this industry, he said: “Use of artificial intelligence and machine-to-machine learning has also increased. These new technologies are helping companies to do more work with less number of employees.”
Reddy further said that going forward, the IT industry would definitely hire fewer numbers of people. “Secondly, the skills required from the people who are graduating now will be different from the skills that were there in the past. Therefore, people will have to acquire new skills,” he explained, adding that engineers who were already working in the industry also need to re-skill themselves.
Asked whether Cyient would also reduce the intake, Reddy said recruitment by his software company would not be the same as in the past. J A Chowdary, IT Advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Government, while expressing similar views, said that IT recruitment would drop by a whopping 40 per cent on account of automation tools and new technologies.
“Only people who have expertise in niche technologies will be able to secure jobs in the IT sector,” he maintained. According to him, India IT 1.0 is a passé now and the engineering education system in the country should focus on version 2.0 with more emphasis on new digital technologies like cyber security, Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud. “
Our education system is not yet geared up to equip students with such technologies,” he said. Pointing out that the Indian IT sector was not able to grow beyond the outsourcing model, Y Kiran Chandra, General Secretary, Free Software Movement of India, said the drop in IT jobs would have serious implications on the country.
By:P Madhusudhan Reddy
