Headcount in India to rise by 13% in 2013: Survey

Headcount of organisations in India is likely to rise by 13 per cent in 2013, even as one-fourth of total workforce globally would become redundant in 3-5 years, a survey said on Monday.

According to market research firm Zinnov, Talent Outlook 2013, organisations are seeking talent with skills in the areas of engineering with 50 per cent of respondents saying that it would be among the top three skills of the future, followed by analytics skills such as big data, predictive modelling, HR analytics, and mobility.

"Data scientists and user experience designers will witness very high demand, while mobile application developers and cloud computing experts will witness moderate to high demand," Zinnov CEO Pari Natarajan said.

Natarajan further added that "significantly, all these skills were non-existent a decade ago. Organisations are also expected to increase their focus on soft skill development across levels and functions."

The survey further said that, over the world, firms believe 25 per cent of their current talent will become redundant in the next 3-5 years, while specialised skill sets in user experience and mobility will see rising demand.

The biggest talent challenges that organisations face are in the areas of niche hiring and skill set assessment, with 50 per cent of respondents suggesting that these would be key focus areas for HR in 2013, the survey said.

Moreover, India was the third preferred centre for innovation after Silicon valley and other US cities.

The Silicon Valley continues to be an innovation hub, with 80 per cent of respondents to the Zinnov survey indicating that their organisations' headcount will increase the highest in this region.

India ranked third as potential innovation region, with organisations revealing that 15 per cent of innovation is expected out of the country, followed by EMEA at 10 per cent.

The survey revealed that this year there would be a marginal growth in China and India primarily due to the cost and access to talent and most respondents indicated that China would no longer be on the priority list for most companies.