Highlights

• While unemployment is a foreseeable fallout of the pandemic, there is a global evolution underway in how white-collar jobs function and consequently how they will be employed
• With lock-downs in force, companies are deploying online tools to optimize their existing human capital and, in the future, might revise their recruitment strategies
• Digital readiness and digital savviness might soon become the norm, and inevitably affect the demand and supply of human resource capabilities

COVID-19’s adverse impact on employment, particularly white-collar jobs, is no secret. But with the current lockdowns in place globally, we are witnessing a fundamental change in how professionals continue working-from-home and how businesses are looking to optimize their human capital. To get a deeper industry insight into this, we spoke with Gaurav Chattur, Managing Director of Catenon APAC. A Spain-headquartered company, Catenon is one of the world’s leading companies in the human capital management and executive search space.

The complete conversation with Gaurav can be listened to in this podcast episode on the impact of the pandemic on human resources in India.

At times such as the ongoing economic recession on account of the novel coronavirus pandemic, large-scale unemployment is an unfortunate outcome. On one-hand there will be the adverse impact on blue-collar and labour (shop-floor level) jobs given then the nature of the virus’s spread and the resulting move from companies to adopt remote accessed and controlled automation. And on the other, white-collar jobs will come under the scanner as companies try to consolidate the significant costs associated with human capital – both, directly and indirectly.

But triggered by the global work-from-home scenario, there is also a visible shift occurring in how employees (specifically, white-collar professionals) access, communicate, and execute on a work front. Digital readiness, i.e. being able to quickly adopt to digital tools, is a basic skillset that is being expected from all employees working remotely from home.

However, digital savviness, i.e. the ability to use these digital tools and means to gain a competitive advantage, is helping certain employees come out ahead of their peers. It is not difficult to see, why both of these – digital readiness and savviness – will become a go-to in the new work-environment that is quickly evolving around us. And as in the case with employees and these digital skillsets, the same attributes can be extended to companies and businesses.

Heading the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for one of the world’s leading human capital management and executive search firms, Gaurav Chattur (Managing Director, APAC at Catenon) understands the human resources market better than most others.

In his discussion with us, Gaurav shares his insights on how the current global recession will impact and influence human capital markets, particularly for India. He also shares his thoughts on how the present work-from-home scenario, that is being adopted by firms around the globe, will instrument a change in the capabilities and skill-sets that become definitive for white-collar jobs in the immediate and near-future, post-pandemic.

You can listen to the complete discussion with Gaurav Chattur on any of our podcast channels below:

Castbox  |  SoundCloud  |  Spotify  |  YouTube

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The Brief - Editorial

Comprising of a group of veteran industry experts, seasoned marketing strategists, and distinguished editors, The Brief’s Editorial Desk is India’s very own “Dream Team” in the space of digital media. With a goal to publish insights that are useful to readers across multiple spectra, they’re the ones who embody the spirit of The Brief as they work to make India accessible, for business and beyond.

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The Brief - Editorial

Comprising of a group of veteran industry experts, seasoned marketing strategists, and distinguished editors, The Brief’s Editorial Desk is India’s very own “Dream Team” in the space of digital media. With a goal to publish insights that are useful to readers across multiple spectra, they’re the ones who embody the spirit of The Brief as they work to make India accessible, for business and beyond.