Flexi hiring in IT sector to reach 20% mark by 2020: ISF

The Indian IT and ITeS industry, which is considered one of the pioneers in organised staffing, is expected to witness a high level of flexi hiring in the next few years, says Indian Staffing Federation.

Flexi hiring or temporary recruitments in the IT industry is likely to increase from 10 percent to 20 percent by 2020, according to Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), the apex body of flexi staffing industry in India.

By 2025, it is expected that 10 percent of the overall workforce in India could be working in a flexible capacity, through staffing companies, it said.

"Although the industry has been facing a tough time amid the global economic slowdown, there has been buoyancy in flexi hiring among IT companies in India," ISF President K Pandia Rajan said.

"IT firms are swiftly adopting the practice of hiring flexi staff in order to beat margin pressures, maintain lean benches and also facilitate just-in-time hiring in a highly volatile market. The firms are increasing their flexi staff count in non-core activities and services to focus more on core activities," Rajan added.

When it comes to the IT sector, Flexi staffing industry is estimated to stand at around USD 950 million this year. Moreover, across the world, including India, it is estimated that IT staffing constitutes 66 per cent by value and 35 per cent by volume and is the fastest growing segment.

"India is among the top Asian countries when it comes to flexi staffing and can easily outnumber all countries in the next 12 years with the sheer size of flexi-staff deployed in the formal sector, given the opportunity," said ISF Vice President Rituparna Chakraborty.

Chakraborty further said that by 2025, it is expected that 10 percent of the overall workforce in India could be working in a flexible capacity through staffing companies."

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