By Apeksha Kaushik, TimesJobs.com Bureau
The Manufacturing sector accounted for 12% of the total demand for engineers with less than 2 years of experience during Feb-Mar ‘14, according to TimesJobs.com data.
Key demand drivers
Increase in demand for fresh graduates in engineering can largely be attributed to increase in activity in the manufacturing industry in India, in the recent past. There has been a spurt of new companies and a lot of production has been moved to India from other countries.
According to Samit Jain, director, Pluss Polymers, “Companies have realised that they need to start innovating, creating new products and meeting international standards. For this the organisations need talented, young and enthusiastic individuals, hence the demand is rising for freshers.”
The demand for this experience category has been buoyant since the latter half of 2013, when it reported a 30% increase. Explaining the increase in hiring for freshers, Vijay Kumar, founder & CEO, Peepal Technology and Management Consulting stated in the bi-annual RecruiteX report that although only an economic revival can lead to increased hiring and fresh jobs in the Manufacturing & Engineering sector, many organisations actually felt that this was the best time to recruit fresh talent.
Jain added that “The Indian Manufacturing sector had neglected hiring of fresh graduates earlier, leading to a dearth of talent, as senior talent begins retiring in the next few years. However, this has changed. Companies are now looking at training fresh graduates as they are easier to mould, can easily adopt new techniques and come with an open mind.”
Most sought after skills
Industry today is willing to teach individuals and train and mould them in the way that is required. Hence, willingness to learn and adapt is deemed most crucial by employers.
According to Jain, “Any degree teaches the individual how to learn! What one does in a job is typically different from what one studies. Hence, the skills that any graduate today needs to possess is an ability to change, ability to learn well, ability to work well in a team without creating friction, ownership and commitment towards the task at hand and a demonstrable integrity and willingness to take on responsibilities.” Besides these, good communication, analytical and problem solving skills are also of prime importance.
Average salary offered
Salary today varies from function to function. “Engineering graduates could get anything from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs. 8 lakhs per annum. It totally depends on the size of the organisation and the employee’s skill sets and the university that the candidate has acquired a degree from,” stated Jain.
Future prospects
The hiring scenario is expected to be very positive for this category, in the coming months. India is on a growth path and particularly in the Manufacturing sector. “I believe that India has no other way to make use of its young and growing population other than to grow its manufacturing capability. Industry and the Government are realising this. We are acting slowly, but acting. Hence, there would be plenty of openings for engineers in the future,” believe Jain.
Overall, only a slight increase of about 1.4% in hiring numbers is predicted in 2014 in the Manufacturing sector, said Kumar in the bi-annual RecruiteX.
The Manufacturing sector accounted for 12% of the total demand for engineers with less than 2 years of experience during Feb-Mar ‘14, according to TimesJobs.com data.
Key demand drivers
Increase in demand for fresh graduates in engineering can largely be attributed to increase in activity in the manufacturing industry in India, in the recent past. There has been a spurt of new companies and a lot of production has been moved to India from other countries.
According to Samit Jain, director, Pluss Polymers, “Companies have realised that they need to start innovating, creating new products and meeting international standards. For this the organisations need talented, young and enthusiastic individuals, hence the demand is rising for freshers.”
The demand for this experience category has been buoyant since the latter half of 2013, when it reported a 30% increase. Explaining the increase in hiring for freshers, Vijay Kumar, founder & CEO, Peepal Technology and Management Consulting stated in the bi-annual RecruiteX report that although only an economic revival can lead to increased hiring and fresh jobs in the Manufacturing & Engineering sector, many organisations actually felt that this was the best time to recruit fresh talent.
Jain added that “The Indian Manufacturing sector had neglected hiring of fresh graduates earlier, leading to a dearth of talent, as senior talent begins retiring in the next few years. However, this has changed. Companies are now looking at training fresh graduates as they are easier to mould, can easily adopt new techniques and come with an open mind.”
Most sought after skills
Industry today is willing to teach individuals and train and mould them in the way that is required. Hence, willingness to learn and adapt is deemed most crucial by employers.
According to Jain, “Any degree teaches the individual how to learn! What one does in a job is typically different from what one studies. Hence, the skills that any graduate today needs to possess is an ability to change, ability to learn well, ability to work well in a team without creating friction, ownership and commitment towards the task at hand and a demonstrable integrity and willingness to take on responsibilities.” Besides these, good communication, analytical and problem solving skills are also of prime importance.
Average salary offered
Salary today varies from function to function. “Engineering graduates could get anything from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs. 8 lakhs per annum. It totally depends on the size of the organisation and the employee’s skill sets and the university that the candidate has acquired a degree from,” stated Jain.
Future prospects
The hiring scenario is expected to be very positive for this category, in the coming months. India is on a growth path and particularly in the Manufacturing sector. “I believe that India has no other way to make use of its young and growing population other than to grow its manufacturing capability. Industry and the Government are realising this. We are acting slowly, but acting. Hence, there would be plenty of openings for engineers in the future,” believe Jain.
Overall, only a slight increase of about 1.4% in hiring numbers is predicted in 2014 in the Manufacturing sector, said Kumar in the bi-annual RecruiteX.
