Skills have taken precedence over qualification in last 71 years: TimesJobs Survey

About 53% of hiring managers say the biggest transition in the Indian employment scene in last 71 years is that more skilled workforce is preferred in comparison to highly qualified ones. Also analysing the job scene since India's independence revealed that MNCs have been the biggest job creators in India in comparison to other factors. These facts emerged from TimesJobs special report on 71 years of Independence.

From being an agrarian country to a technology leader in the new world order, India has indeed come a long way since August 1947.

Talking of employment, India has undoubtedly created more jobs and the skill levels of workforce have also improved. TimesJobs conducted an exclusive survey to study the trends in recruitment scene in the last 71 years and many facts emerged from the study. The survey received responses from more than 1,000 HR managers. Here are the major survey findings:

Skilled candidates preferred over highly qualified ones
TimesJobs survey findings show a major shift from hiring qualified candidates to skilled ones. Majority (53%) of HR managers think one has to be aptly skilled in order to get a job in India today, whereas being qualified is given the last consideration in independent India.

The survey findings also show that analytical skills are most desired by the organisations, whereas cognitive and social and emotional intelligence are secondary in comparison. About 72% of respondents believe professional degree or a certificate course is need of the hour to grab a good job in present times.

MNCs, the biggest job creators post-independence

Majority (65%) of people agree that independent India has churned more job opportunities. And, the acting catalyst for increasing job opportunities is growing penetration of MNCs in India. Factors like investment in infrastructure and government reforms to generate employment were ranked second and third respectively. This is a clear indictor of a sentiment that India's burgeoning economy – which is attracting foreign players – and friendly policies are helping generate more jobs for people.

Women emerged as better leaders
Last 71 years were not only about the paradigm shifts in the employment space but these years also saw break down of conventional decorum, especially the advent of women in corporate spheres. TimesJobs survey questioned about the difference women have created in the corporate sector. More than 41% respondents think women have changed the convention of male dominance at leadership positions, whereas 37% of respondents say over the years women have become more liberal in choosing their profession.

This is just a wake-up call
"TimesJobs survey concludes that the Indian job market has done fairly well in the last 71 years in terms of jobs creation and also in terms of scope of employment. However this is just a beginning since the coming age is all about technology and related services and India has a lot of potential to be a world leader in that sphere," saidRamathreya Krishnamurthy, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig.

The survey also revealed that professional competition has intensified, bringing aspects like skill upgradation, career rotation to the forefront.

India recently became sixth largest economy on the GDP basis, but a lot needs to be done to create more jobs for millennial population and improving the work-life balance at workplaces.