Spread of digital economy leads to demand surge in tech space: Study

Spread of digital economy, fuelled by increasing cloud enablement among tech giants, has led to a surge in demand for digital skills. Large digital transformation deals, hybrid cloud adoption, automation of front- and back-end systems, and investments in tech-enabled assets have und­er­pinned business performances and manpower hiring sprees in the last leg of 2021. 

Demand for digital skills have been at an all-time high. The top-five digital skill domains in demand in September-November 2021 are Testing, Platform Technologies, Java, Cloud Infra, and Data Analytics, found a study by Quess.

In September-November 2021, the role of Testing has seen an increase of 18 per cent in the total number of open positions, compared to June-August 2021, bringing it to the top of the list for digital skills in demand. Platform Technologies come in at the second highest position in demanded roles, with a small decrease in demand from the previous time period.

Similarly, Java Technologies continues to be in the top-5 list and exponential growth in demand for roles in cloud infra (up 131 per cent) and data analytics (up 454 per cent) has been witnessed.  

Vijay Sivaram, CEO, Quess IT Staffing, said, “With the slow opening of borders, we expect to see more opportunities in Tier-2 cites. Talent may also leave the country, as international borders open and give way to lucrative offers. However, with Omicron playing spoilsport, the industry’s back-to-office plans have been foiled.”  

As the demand for automation rapidly increases, accuracy in operations became a top priority. Hence, the testing domain leads the pack in digital skills as validation of systems and quality control are crucial for business continuity. Further, data analytics witnessed more than 450 per cent growth as nearly all companies have adopted big data and analytics in their technology repertoire. 

A report by the World Economic Forum found that 96 per cent of companies are definitely planning or likely to plan to hire new staff with relevant skills to fill future big data analytics-related roles in 2022. This is most likely going to be the most in-demand role in 2022.

When it came to the cities that are attracting these talent, Bengaluru topped the chart with 54 per cent, followed by Hyderabad (15 per cent), Chennai (11 per cent), Pune (8 per cent), and NCR (7 per cent).