India Inc puts hiring on pause amid rising Covid-19 cases

The second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, which showed considerable impact across states in the last few days, has left India Inc worried and cautious about fresh hiring, The Economic Times reported.

Over the past few weeks, several companies delayed interviews and search mandates were put on hold to review the economic situation amid the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases. Employers have adopted the ‘wait and watch’ approach, particularly for middle and senior-level hiring at the moment.

“Mostly companies from Mumbai and Bengaluru, that saw a big upsurge in Covid cases, and also places where senior-level white-collar searches are concentrated, are putting mandates on hold,” Alok Kumar of Manpower Group India was quoted in the report.

However, companies pointed that hiring has only been postponed and not cancelled. Some companies remain bullish about hiring new talent in spite of rising infections. They suggest quality manpower is necessary for economic revival that was damaged after the lockdown last year.

With the vaccination drive in progress, industry experts believe that the second wave of coronavirus will eventually fizz out and won’t cause as much harm as in 2020. Companies want the vaccination drive to roll aggressively as it will help curb new infections.

Meanwhile, it will be important to see whether another lockdown is imposed in the country or surgical lockdowns are imposed in the worst-hit pockets. This will eventually decide the long-term economic impact of the second wave of coronavirus in India.