News: View: Many things about jobs could change in the post-lockdown era -10-05-2020
Updated On: May 10, 2020
View: Many things about jobs could change in the post-lockdown era
In the days following the lockdown, employment and the job market is expected to see a brand new normal.
By Nicolas Dumoulin There is no escaping the fact that within a few short weeks, the global health emergency, COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how the world and India will do business. This is an unprecedented situation and adaption and workplace evolution is going to be key across all companies. In the days following the long lockdown and social distancing rules released by the Indian government, employment and the job market is expected to see a brand new normal. With immediate effect, we will see much more emphasis on job security from professionals in India. In times like this, it is especially important for people with financial commitments such as children’s education fees or mortgage on a family home. People with existing considerations will be reluctant to leave their companies and we anticipate a much lower percentage of people open to exploring new opportunities. Where we will still see some appetite to move jobs is in the healthcare and life sciences as well as technology industries. These have been recognised as the sectors least impacted by the pandemic. Therefore candidates have more certainty around the long-term prospects of companies in these industries. In particular, candidates in job types such as digital analytics and data science will be more open to switching roles. We will also see a change is in the mindset of professionals. Once we start seeing more certain times where people can get back into a regular work routine, a lot of people in India will be rethinking their careers. During this entire time of working from home, their lives have been shaken up in one way or another. Professionals would have figured out what they would like to keep or change in their careers and will be making some choices by looking at things differently. We foresee a big wave of professionals wanting to change their lives and jobs.
want this working from home flexibility much more than before. Indian professionals will be more efficient working from home as firstly they don’t have to sit in traffic and the any cumbersome commute time is removed. Employers who do not adapt to this may see their employees moving to a company with such an option. People are well aware that remote working can actually be conducive and there will be expectations. There has already been a long-term shift towards virtual working in India and COVID-19 has accelerated that. This will also create a demand for E-learning and remote online virtual learning spaces within training and professional development. The dependency will be on the digital tools available as well as ones which will be developed soon. A new style of doing things will all be online and efficiencies will arise together with new styles of working. These digital tools will still continue to develop and even more financial investment is being directed to it then ever before. This shift is accelerating and in the next couple of months we will see a lot of changes here. Working on employment engagement and how to keep them interested remotely will be key for companies. There will have to be considerations about their mental health or well being while assuring them of job security. Connectivity, remote team interaction and company culture will be a challenge for India in this age. This could create new opportunities for roles in engagement management. Someone in a company who facilitates and initiates interconnectivity across the layers and organisational matrix. There will be a strong need to represent as a culture keeper, keep people connected and constantly remind the leadership team of the importance of engagement while working remotely. For professionals in India wanting to move jobs during this time of a pandemic, always assess first what the change you want to make is and if you can achieve that in your current company. Bear in mind that if you are in good organisation, there is always the option of internal mobility to build your career within the company. This is the best option for you because your colleagues are aware of your skillets and capabilities. Making a shift in industries will be a bit of a challenge right now. So consider the fact that if you are in the right sector with a company which is growing, you will grow as a professional. Hiring managers trying to attract professionals in this market will have to prioritise job security when communicating the role to candidates. From our current observations, there is a much greater distinction between candidates who are looking and those who are not. There are very strong professionals who are active jobseekers and companies who can identify them will have a higher possibility of success at securing top talent. The author is Managing Director, Michael Page India. This is part of a multi-article series written by economists and sectoral experts on the path India must take to survive the Covid crisis.
