Most Indian IT recruiters are presently hiring for Android/iOS (36%), Python (24%), Java (23%), C/C++ (8%) and R (4%) technologies, among others. These facts were revealed in the latest TechGig survey on ‘Developer Hiring Trends’ of 1,758 hiring managers and IT recruiters who were actively scouting for new tech talent in diverse industries.

The survey also pointed out that while Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a disruptive technology and is seeing mass adoption, Indian IT recruiters find it utmost difficult to recruit talent for AI. When asked about technologies for which finding talent is challenging, most respondents named Artificial Intelligence (43%), Machine Learning (17%) and Data Analytics (14%) as their biggest worry. 

One of the important findings of the survey is that most technology recruiters see a sabbatical or maternity leave as a big red flag in a CV. About 59% of IT recruiters say that they won’t consider a candidate who has a long employment gap.

This finding assumes significance in the light of the fact that most sectors – and IT sector particularly – are grappling with the under-representation of women talent. A lot of IT companies are working at bridging the gender divide at the workplace, but the number of women in the workforce remains less, thereby defeating the purpose of such programs. 

IITs are preferred for campus placements:

As many as 61% survey takers said that they relied on IITs for recruiting top tech talent. This was followed by NITs (16%) as their go-to headhunting institutes, followed by BITS Pilani (11%) and Delhi College of Engineering (6%). Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), a private deemed the university got just 6% of votes.

Reasons behind the alarming attrition levels

Attrition remains a major worry in the IT industry where a big tech company like Infosys is battling the worst attrition rate (23.4% in the June 2019-ended quarter) in its history. The TechGig survey has revealed the top-cited reasons by tech professionals for leaving a company. The topmost reason (24%) for early exits was ‘long working hours’, closely followed by 23% respondents stating ‘dissatisfaction with the reporting manager’ as a reason. Unrealistic expectations (22%), poor pay (19%), and stiff deadlines (12%) were the other reasons cited for employee exits from technology positions.

“The findings of TechGig survey are an eye-opener in many areas. Globally, Artificial Intelligence is enabling innovation and heralding a change – from space stations to agriculture – but in India, the IT recruiters find it difficult to recruit talent for this technology. Also, most recruiters surveyed by TechGig have confessed that they won’t consider a candidate with a long employment gap e.g. sabbatical or maternity leave. Both these facts show that while there is a dearth of talent, the recruiters, too, are influenced by preconceived biases. This survey hints at the corrective action that must be taken by IT companies to hire quality tech talent”, said Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig.