In an article entitled “Tech Hire on Fire | Why firms are racing to hire the best of talent”, the Economic Times highlights the sudden technological shift that Covid-19 brought about.

At the outset of the pandemic, companies realised they needed to develop robust remote systems for transactions. Some firms already had digital transformation plans in place, but others were caught off guard.

In order to shift to fully digital, the demand for tech talent increased at both tech and non-tech firms. In fact, technology hiring by non-tech firms is up 17%-18% over pre-pandemic levels, according to Siva Prasad Nanduri, vice president and business head - IT staffing at TeamLease Digital. The article notes tech workers at non-tech companies account for 7% of the Indian IT workforce.

Sectors where the demand for tech talent has increased include banking, financial services, education, media, logistics and supply chain sectors. Working at non-tech companies can help tech workers expand their skills and provide exposure to new work functions.

A drawback of non-tech roles is that they might not offer the clear career path that technology professionals prefer. To compensate, some companies are offering salaries that are 40%-50% higher for IT talent.

The article notes that 25%-60% of hiring by non-tech companies in the last year has been for technology talent, and the high demand is expected going forward.