Job Search and Hiring Practices in the Indian Urban Labour Market

Aims & Objectives: The focus of the study was to understand the process of job search and hiring practices in the Indian urban labour market. More specifically, it focused on formal sector employment in the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Ranchi, Jharkhand and in the identification of the sources of exclusion and discrimination prevalent in the urban labour market. The study incorporated both, qualitative and quantitative tools to collect data and narratives.

The Objectives of the study included the following:

• To understand how labour market institutions, both formal and informal institutions, have evolved over the years and their role in promoting labour market efficiency in matching demand and supply of the urban labourer.
• To understand the roles played by different academic institutions in preparing students, i.e. getting them industry ready.
• To locate the emerging trends among kinds of additional trainings and skill sets that students across study programs are undertaking in-order to stand out in the job market.
• To map the process of job search and hiring practices across occupations, sectors and firms in selected regions in India.
• To identify sources of exclusion and discrimination prevalent in the urban labour market.

Methodology: Primary data was collected from final year students across study programs, employees and employers. Different scales of intermediaries and labour market experts were interviewed in order to understand the gap between the demand and supply of skilled workforce, access to information, job search methods and the role of intermediary firms for different sectors and occupational groups.

Findings: The findings of the study indicated multi-layered narratives emerging from both sides of the labour market. The major arguments emerged within the context of skills and jobs. Firstly, students reported unavailability of core (trade specific) jobs and the industries found (cheap) fresh talent to be highly inadequate. The industries and the students on their own account undertook various measures catering to varying levels of skill based deficiencies. Prima facie, technology per se enabled students to venture into alternate platforms of learning available online and more significantly the local learning centres – particularly in the case of technical education. Though, over time, the absorption capacity of the job marketplace has declined, the position of premier institutions continues to remain sacrosanct. Students not only have to struggle with the thin intakes but the majority find themselves placed in ITES organizations. Industry experts opinion that specialization and trade based expertise is the new driver for demand.