India job seekers aren’t able to return to the workplace — 2 in 3 say they worth flexibility over pay Acquire US

Employees in India are removed from able to return to the pre-pandemic days of working in an workplace, 5 days every week.

That is in accordance with a brand new survey by employment website Certainly, which discovered that 71% — or about two in three — Indian professionals selected flexibility as the highest parameter whereas on a job hunt.

“This consists of the power to work at home, set your personal hours, and take breaks as wanted,” the job portal added.

Flexibility has been a rising precedence for working professionals, who report better work-life balance and productivity after they can select the place and after they work.

Based on Certainly’s survey, which drew knowledge from greater than 1,200 job seekers in India, “work modes” reminiscent of hybrid or distant preparations have been an in depth second (70%) for working professionals when evaluating a job alternative. 

In distinction, fewer job seekers (67%) take into account the compensation supplied for the job. That features wage, advantages, medical insurance, household go away and different studying applications supplied by an organization. 

In an period of labor the place professionals need the selection to work the place they’re most efficient, employers are much less more likely to provide that flexibility than earlier than. 

“Employers’ attitudes in the direction of distant work stays at odds with the preferences of job seekers in India,” Sashi Kumar, Certainly India’s head of gross sales informed CNBC Make It.

“The latter remain keenly interested in remote work, whereas employers are far less likely to mention ‘work from home’ in the job ads they post.”

According to Indeed, 6.5% of job postings on the platform in June explicitly mention phrases such as “work from home” or “remote work” in their job descriptions. 

While that figure has “drifted upwards” in 2023 thus far, it remains well below the levels observed in 2021, it added. 

In contrast, Indeed found that job searches for remote or hybrid work remain elevated at over 10%. 

The survey also revealed that 63% prefer to work in a hybrid setting in particular, where they can work from home some days and from the office on other days.

Yet, only 51% of 561 surveyed employers stated they provide that option.

According to Kumar, there are several factors that are contributing to companies’ desire to have employees back in office.

“Companies are eager to restore a sense of pre-Covid normalcy, and bringing employees back to the office is seen as a step towards achieving that,” he explained.

“The traditional office environment has long been a cornerstone of corporate culture, and for many, it represents a place of communication, collaboration, and innovation.”

Employees also see having employees physically present in the office as a way to “enhance productivity” and ensure better accountability.

However, Kumar added, “the future of work is undoubtedly evolving, and it’s essential for organizations to remain open-minded and adaptable in response to these changes.”

In the midst of economic uncertainty, job seekers have been facing longer job interview processes as companies become more cautious with hiring. 

According to a June report from HR advisory Josh Bersin Company, in collaboration with workforce solutions firm AMS, the amount of time it takes to hire a new employee reached “an all-time excessive” in 2023.

The report confirmed that common time-to-hire charges for the primary quarter of 2023 elevated throughout all industries by in the future — pushing the recruitment course of to 44 days on common.

This can be why Certainly’s survey discovered that India’s job seekers mirrored the necessity for “extra transparency and readability” about jobs and interview processes. 

Its findings confirmed that solely 15% of candidates hear again from corporations after interviews inside 10 to fifteen enterprise days, whereas 63% wait between 15 to 30 enterprise days.

As well as, nearly half of job seekers, or 48% surveyed, wish to know the wage vary from employers earlier than making use of for a task, Certainly added. 

Whereas the size of the recruitment course of relies on the scale of the corporate, trade and position, Kumar mentioned that “clear communication” is essential particularly when attrition charges are excessive.