General forecast

The most important parameter for talent experts to track performance is the quality of hires.

Today, many organizations are measuring it by employee turnover and, as a result, employee retention is emerging as a top priority.

In addition, employee referral programs are proving to be game changers when it comes to quality hiring, as India is leveraging employees’ connections more than ever.

Lastly, recruiting firms in India have realized the power of branding, which is providing a competitive edge. A strong relationship with marketing,will power talent brand excellence.

Hiring in India is likely to see a growth of seven percent across all the sectors this year, says the latest TimesJobs.com Job Outlook 2016 survey. Compared to December 2014, the staffing sector has already seen a 25% growth. This rise has been fueled by IT and Manufacturing, especially those using government initiatives “Digital India” and “Make in India”. In fact, these two sectors are the biggest employment generators of 2016, says the survey.

With salary hikes, HR experts forecast pay hikes of 12 – 15 percent across several sectors. On the other hand, the top talent can expect up to 30 percent hikes.

In IT, hardware and software was up by 77 percent showing the sharpest annual growth among industry sectors. The e-commerce sector has also seen a 23 percent annual growth rate. The growth in the demand of the senior management professionals has been the steepest with 81 percent compared to the previous year. Between December 2015 and January 2016, the growth percentage has been 33 percent.

Biggest Challenge

The gap between the hiring volume and hiring budget has remarkably increased from the previous year. With not a very significant change in hiring volume, the hiring budget has dropped, widening the gap. This means that talent recruiters in India have to manage more with less!

Branding and Business Development

Staffing firms in India are looking to invest more in branding in 2016. Recruitment Agencies have recognized the impact of efficient branding on the ability to grow their businesses and hire great talent.

In 2016, there is a growing trend in understanding and measuring employer brand.

Overall, employer brand becomes a priority and organizations are drawing unified strategies, with social professional networks continuing to be the best tool for enhancement.

As a top source for quality hires, employee referral programs regaining notoriety. Compared to the global trends, India seems to be leveraging the employee referral program very efficiently. Experts forecast that the concrete relationships with employees and their networks will help to recruit quality talent.

On the other hand, social and professional networks continue to be important.

India leads in terms of employee referral programs usage:

Some trends that here to stay:

Employment Firms in India are using social and professional networks, employee referral programs, and employment branding as powerful tools for talent sourcing. Also, relationships – as always are key to growth, as is seen through the influence that online professional networks offer.