Hiring as per upcoming trends in any industry may as well be a parallel universe, especially if it involves predicting technological slant. In an exclusive interaction with Sarada Vishnubhatla, Rohet Ramesh, Director, Layam Group reveals the inherent nuances and the unique challenges when it comes to hiring for the automotive industry and what it takes to be ahead of the curve.
Rohet Ramesh is adept at foreseeing the hiring trends even before they have manifested in the industry. Connecting rightly-skilled professionals with companies looking for specific talents is an art in itself. As the Director at Layam Group, Rohet is catering to the automotive industry aptly.
With EVs hogging the automotive limelight nowadays, Rohet along with his team at Layam Group is hard at work in customizing their database of professionals who can fulfill the definite set of requirements of the industry.
Layam has been catering to the EV segment since June 2020 and has bagged almost 7 EV start-ups as their clients – who have made their name in 2-wheeler, electric bus and truck segments. The company has placed about 15000 people in EV and allied industries together till date, of which 5000 pertain to the EV sector.
COVID Impact on Hiring Trends
COVID pandemic, in the last one and a half years, has led to production shutdowns in the automotive industry disrupting hirings.
Rohet shares: “In the initial pandemic days, the automotive industry had witnessed about 40% reduction in hirings. But things have started looking up post 2nd wave. Hirings in the EV segment are now taking place mostly at the senior level.”
Now, notwithstanding the potential 3rd wave of the pandemic, market sentiments across the industry remain boosted, with peoples’ purchasing power improving. The most heartening fact is that the CV segment is also witnessing rise in sales.
Rohet agrees: “The recent announcement by the government to build 60,000 kilometers of national highways by 2024 has uplifted the sentiments with investments coming in. This will boost CV sales, which will help drive the economy and people will feel encouraged to invest in new vehicles.”
Skilling Workforce for EV Industry
When it comes to training and skilling students, academic institutions offer generic training but if seekers wish for a well-paying job in a reputed company, they will need to undergo specific certificate programs.
Rohet shares an insight: “EV industry is attracting analytical minds more than mechanical experts. And, Layam equips them with basic upskilling programs to get them job-ready on the shop floor when they get hired. Technological upskilling is mostly needed in the junior and middle management levels in the electrical and battery industries. At the top management level, candidates with R&D exposure are being sought after.”
A pertinent point to make here is that different technologies are being explored to operate the battery system instead of depending solely on lithium which India imports and this is further pushing up hirings. In less than a decade, the industry will be looking at proper battery disposal methods which will require skilled chemical engineers, and metallurgy experts who can address this issue. And this can translate into more hirings.
The ‘Layam’ Differentiator
As an organization, Layam not only recruits but also undertakes contract management with companies. And the motto they follow is ‘brain count over head count’.
Rohet feels: “We not only supply the manpower but manage the process while the technology belongs to the client company. Our revenue model is based on the number of outputs as against head count. We understand the incoming technology and in turn, also understand the future hiring trends and that is where in our specialty lies.”
In other words, Layam is armed with the right database and right connections with right people, to create a customized talent pool that can match the current trends in the EV industry. Their dedicated team conducts intense studies on how the trends will flow, keeping Layam ahead of the industry.
Resolving Challenges
For Layam, challenges come in the form of availability of skilled manpower and the need to spend time in training them. Another would be sustainability because with numerous new EV start-ups coming in, consolidation will take time. When the chips will fall as they may, the workforce may need to be found suitable jobs for. Those trained by the company are highly valued by the placement companies because they can hit the ground running. And that is exactly where Layam Group’s strength lies!