The country’s competitive talent market is fuelling a significant internal shift within the organisation. According to LinkedIn’s report, more than nine in 10 (93 percent) companies in India are looking to fill open roles internally in the post-Covid-19 era.

The report stated that seven in 10 companies in India said the main reason they hire internally is to gain an insider’s perspective or a sense of progress. It also stated that when hiring internally, the top-three skills that companies in India look for are good communication, problem solving skills and time management. LinkedIn’s “Future of Talent” report was commissioned to independent market research firm GfK, which conducted this online survey with over 3,500 respondents from small, medium and large enterprises across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region including Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. The report further showed that trends such as internal mobility, data-led hiring decisions, and improving employee experience will be in focus for employers in 2021. To keep pace with today’s rapidly digitising business needs, companies are also keen to upgrade the capabilities of their workforce. Taking cue, 95 per cent of companies in India have dedicated L&D (learning and development) programmes to help employees learn new skills and prepare for the future, according to the report. While skills take the centre stage, many companies in India are also leaning on data analytics to tap into relevant talent pools when hiring today.

The report showed that 91 per cent companies in India use data to make informed talent-hiring decisions, while 53 per cent frequently use data to map skills with open position requirements.

To make remote hiring even more efficient, nine in 10 companies are also merging roles to reduce talent acquisition costs today, it added.

Meanwhile, it noted that with a second wave accentuating India’s remote working needs, HR will play an even bigger role in determining the future of talent. Nine in 10 companies agreed that HR will now play a key role in helping organisations streamline their business, shape their strategy, and hire more efficiently, even beyond Covid-19, it added.