India’s telecom companies are hiring more temporary employees, especially at entry and junior level posts, as demands of dynamic and evolving technologies increase and recessionary trends persist, reports The Economic Times, citing research from staffing firms. This increased hiring led to the share of temp employees rising to 20%-22% currently from 12%-15% a decade back and could reach 40% by FY 2028.

RP Yadav, chairman and managing director, Genius Consultants, said, “The technology in telecom (2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G) is evolving rapidly. So, companies are finding it more efficient to hire employees on contract rather than reskilling their entire workforce frequently.”

While reskilling and upskilling is an exercise undertaken by most companies, it is time intensive, staffing experts stated. So, while a part of the permanent workforce is upskilled and reskilled to meet the demands of newer technologies and related applications, a portion of the human resources requirements is also fulfilled using the contract route.

Kartik Narayan, Chief Executive, staffing, TeamLease Services, said, “There are certain job requirements that are tactical for a company, in that the requirement will last until a phase in the business development journey for the company. Contract workers are an efficient way to fill these requirements.”

Sanjay Shetty, director, professional search and selection, Randstad India, added that demand for temp employees in the telecom industry might be a result of workforce restructuring or fear of impact from global recessionary trends.