Around 64-65 percent of Indians are hopeful and optimistic about career opportunities in 2021 and around 56 percent are hoping for a pay rise too in the coming year. This is nearly twice what their counterparts in Australia and Singapore are hoping for, 20 and 23 percent respectively.
Hope and optimism was hard to find in 2020 with sudden layoffs, employment crisis, financial disturbances, and more. However, Indians seem to be very optimistic and hopeful about pay-hikes and employment in the Asia-Pacific region for the year 2021. This revelation was made by the job site ‘Indeed’ on Monday.
Citing its global study they claimed that around 64-65 percent of Indians are hopeful and optimistic about career opportunities in 2021 and around 56 percent are hoping for a pay rise too in the coming year. This is nearly twice of what their counterparts in Australia and Singapore are hoping for, 20 and 23 percent respectively.
However, the air of unpredictability still lurked around with 54 percent of employees saying that they would like to stick with their current employers for 2021 and would not move even if approached by different employers. While most stated job insecurity to be the reason, some pointed out the job satisfaction factor in their current workplace.
Workplace satisfaction and workplace culture was one of the things that many organisations and studies have picked up for discussion in 2020. Lot of internal communication and culture building was emphasised on. Toxic work-culture and the diminishing line of work and personal space remained a constant topic of conversation throughout the globe.
“Indian workers deem workplace safety (59 percent) and employee well-being (44 percent) as the two most important considerations for the 2021 workplace,” the study revealed.
The hope of better opportunities also exists due to the anticipation of the coronavirus vaccine which should be ideally placed in the Indian landscape by January as claimed by Government officials on multiple accounts.
Speaking of resilience, more than two in five employers said the decisions taken at the outset of the pandemic were effective in ensuring their business continuity. 66 percent of employers also credited their workforce for pulling together and helping their company in this time of crisis.
While speaking about positive effects of the pandemic, the working force cited quality family time and more work-from-home opportunities as the main pros. This was stated as the biggest personal impact by them for 2020.
However, there were polarising views on work-life balance and how they expect the future to pan out in the future. The study reveals 41 percent of employers and 39 percent of employees said lines between work and life have permanently blurred, with another 40 percent of employers and employees saying lines are more separate than ever.
Respondents mentioned hygiene, health and safety as important considerations for the workplace. 44 percent cited mental wellbeing as the second most important consideration. 1 in 2 employers said that social distancing and hygiene measures would be a priority while implementing new workplace policies in 2021. Hybridity and work from home options were also amongst top priorities of the employers.
Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India, said, “Our study also shows that employee wellbeing and work-life balance are now workplace imperatives, while skilling will be an important conversation for organisations to drive in 2021. As the world’s second-largest labour market moves towards its economic recovery, how organisations redefine their talent strategies and workplace practices, will play a critical role in how India prepares for the future of work.”