Indians, Job Alert! Northeast is where the opportunity exists

Northeast India, a place which is so far counted among the best tourist destinations in India, is now emerging as one place where the demand for talent is on a rise. According to the latest TimesJobs RecruiteX data, 5-30% y-o-y growth rate in talent demand is seen in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim from Feb 2014-Feb 2015.


These new findings refute the perception that the North-East does not offer good employment opportunities. In fact, the percentage growth in demand for talent in the eight states is higher than that in the metro cities.

So, does this mean Northeast is going to be the new ITeS & BPO hub of India? At least, Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com feels so.

He says, “The Prime Minister’s focus on the region coupled with improving interstate infrastructure and telecommunications are providing a strong impetus to economic development and job growth in the Northeast. With a young and a ambitious, well-educated population it is quite possible that the Northeast is going to be the new ITeS & BPO hub of India.”

As per the RecruiteX data, which defines the definitive demand and supply recruitment index in India, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim have reported growth rates in the range of 5-30% for talent demand. In comparison, the top five metros have reported an average growth of just 2% in the same period.

Manipur is leading the demand for talent with 21% growth in demand for talent as compared to last year. According to TimesJobs.com data for the state, there are more jobs available in the salary bracket of Rs 15-25 lakh as compared to the Rs 4 lakh plus salary bracket. The demand is almost four to five times higher and is driven by automobile, IT-software, consumer durables/FMCG and BFSI industries.

Arunachal Pradesh is another major gainer with an average y-o-y growth of 19% in talent demand among the eight states. Interestingly, here the highest numbers of jobs are available in the Rs 4-10-lakh salary bracket. Also, there are more jobs in the Rs 25-50 lakh bracket compared to the Rs 10-25 lakh bracket.

This clearly indicates that residents of the North-East are likely to earn more in their hometowns than in metros in similar job profiles. Sectors such as education, travel and tourism, FMCG and BFSI are strong across the region.

In a state-wise analysis, Nagaland and Tripura recorded an average y-o-y growth of 17% and 12%, respectively. In both states, telecom, IT-software and insurance sectors are driving the demand. Professionals with 2-5 years experience are the most sought after.

Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram have also reported higher average y-o-y growth in talent demand than the metros. The average growth in these three states ranged between 5-6%.

In Sikkim, the demand for talent is up by 6% in Hotel/Travel, IT-software and Biotech/Pharma. However, demand is mostly for entry-level roles with salaries going up to just Rs 2 lakh per annum.

Experts say improving job market in the region are due to improved infrastructure, consumer sentiments and investments in IT and core manufacturing sectors such as automobile, consumer durables and FMCG.

You can read the complete RecruiteX report here.

(Image: Reuters)
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