An increasing number of employers are looking at apprenticeship to offset the workforce scarcity that they have been facing following the coronavirus-induced reverse migration, says a report.
According to TeamLease's Apprenticeship Outlook Report, 46 per cent of employers are keener to increase their apprentice pool in the period July to December 2020. The net apprenticeship outlook for this half year stands at 33 per cent.
The report contains insights on employer sentiment in relation to apprentice hiring for the period July 2020 to December 2020. Analysis is based on the historical data of apprentice hiring and findings from a survey of 600 employers across 18 sectors and 14 cities.
"One of the primary drivers for this positive momentum is that more employers, about 32 per cent, have been looking at apprenticeship to offset the workforce scarcity that they have been facing due to reverse migration that has happened because of COVID-19," the report said.
Additionally, about 25 per cent companies have also been hiring apprentices to meet the increased demand for products and services due to the pandemic, it added.
"Despite the predicament that the current pandemic has brought, the overall sentiment amongst companies to hire apprentices has been very positive. While in the initial months of the lockdown, we witnessed a dip, the hiring intent has bounced back quite aggressively, especially since June/July," said Sumit Kumar, Vice President - NETAP, TeamLease Skill University.
Kumar further said that more employers are continuing to accept apprenticeship as a solution to create a skilled productive workforce. Nearly 78 per cent employers find their apprentices to be productive.
"... the current pandemic has made many realise the potential of investing in apprentices and building a talent pool, especially local talent to mitigate workforce scarcity in such situations. Close to 24 per cent organisations have increased their apprentice hiring during the pandemic," Kumar added.
The top sectors where apprentices will be in demand are healthcare & pharmaceuticals (42 per cent), manufacturing & engineering (40 per cent), retail (38 per cent) and ecommerce (38 per cent).
The report analysed the gender parity in hiring apprentices. Around 34 per cent of the companies interviewed have expressed a gender neutral approach and openness to include even the LGBTQ community as well; 43 per cent companies prefer male candidates and 23 per cent prefer female candidates.
