2020 was a tumultuous year on many fronts, leading to significant job losses across the world, across sectors and geographies. Yet some industry segments, like the Indian IT sector, managed to gain significance, largely due to the nature of the pandemic, which accelerated the move towards digitalization. Nevertheless, as a result of the disruption and the new order that has emerged, job requirements in the IT space are expected to undergo a tectonic shift with technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning and data analytics gaining importance.
This has uncovered a host of concerns, including what kind of new jobs are going to come up? What should job seeker of today be looking at while planning a career for the future? What reskilling or upskilling is required and how are HR leaders preparing for these and other changes that are coming their way?
Seeking clarity on these concerns and others, Forbes India Jobs of the Next Decade powered by Indeed brought together thought leaders to offer insights on this unchartered terrain. The webinar featured two panel discussions moderated by Mridu Bhandari, Editor - Special Projects, Network18.
Technology: Catalyzing The Digital Economy
The first discussion, themed ‘Technology: Catalyzing The Digital Economy’ featured Sundararajan Narayanan, Chief People Officer, Virtusa; Dr. Vipul Singh, Divisional Vice President & Head - HR, ADP; Nachiket Deshpande, Chief Operating Officer, L&T Infotech; Dharmendra Jain, HR Head & CFO, YASH Technologies and Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India.
In response to the current pandemic and the need for social distancing, remote working has gained prominence. Sashi Kumar shared significant facts and figures that suggested both job seekers and employers endorsed this trend. “As we move forward, even after the effects of this pandemic recede, we would possibly see many companies offering flexibility and hybrid options that entail a combination of working from offices and homes,” he observed. He pointed out that to facilitate this trend, investments in digital assets, infrastructure and even cyber security have seen a spike. However, from an HR standpoint there is a need for organizations to measure productivity more by outcome than by the number of hours.