Blue-Collar Hiring Resurgence for 70% of Employers: OLX People Survey

The first BetterPlace Employer Survey conducted in June 2020 indicated a positive sentiment amongst employers ahead of the festive season and that 53% of them were hopeful of business recovery by the end of December 2020. Ten months on, the second edition of the survey now says that as much as 70% of employers have resumed hiring for blue-collar jobs.

The online survey which captured the hiring sentiment of 150 respondents across sectors like BFSI, fin-tech, e-commerce, logistics, edu-tech, food-tech, hospitality, F&B, IT & ITeS went on to state that of the 70% that have resumed blue-collar hiring, 16% are hiring blue-collar workers at 100% of capacity whereas 54% are hiring at 50% of capacity.

Furthermore, 60% of respondents didn’t face any challenges in seeking out talent. The positive sentiment and increasing hiring rate only goes on to show that the employers are optimistic about the economy recovering in due time.

Witnessing a positive hiring sentiment in the blue-collar segment, CEO of BetterPlace, Tarun Sinha said, “While green shoots were visible in blue collar hiring in the second half of 2020, with demand surges during the festive season, the current sentiment in hiring is most welcome.”

Key Findings from The Survey

• One in every two respondents optimistic of economic recovery within the year
• 36% of respondents uncertain and expect the economy to exhibit slow growth
• 24% expect their businesses to recover by the end of 2021 whereas 13% are of the opinion that recovery will happen over the next few months.
• 60% respondents indicate that business is just fine
• Since the lockdown, E-commerce and logistics were the only two sectors, quickest to resume operations with a positive hiring sentiment
• Sectors like FMCG, BFSI, manufacturing and IT have ramped-up blue-collar hiring
• 72% of employers reported job security as the main concern for jobseekers over compensation at the time of job acceptance
• Employers are prioritizing urgent necessities: 52% offer PF and gratuity benefits, 44% offer health insurance, 33% investing in workforce upskilling
• As much as 37% contemplating extending health insurance and other social security benefits to blue-collar workers
• Blue-collar jobs to be in demand despite automation: 92% do not see automation impacting the blue-collar segment whereas 50% believe that the demand for blue-collar roles will continue to be strong
• Employers to prioritize communication skills (47%) followed by functional skills (35%) when hiring for blue-collar roles

In conclusion, Mr. Sinha went on to state that the positive hiring sentiment will be long-term and steady as a result of the mass vaccination drive, the recovery of the economy and businesses getting back to work.