If the lack of quality candidates for traditional industries is an indicator, the answer to the question is a resounding, YES.
The fat salaries offered by the IT industries, even for the entry – level openings, is luring away the best talents from all the other industries.
The non – availability of applicants for vacancies which doesn’t require technical skills is a sad reflection to what damage the IT industries has done unwittingly to the brick and mortar business.
The prevalent scenario is like this:
DISAPPEARING RECEPTIONISTS:
Most companies do not have receptionists as such, what they have is something called FRONT OFFICE, who is nothing but an administrative assistant who picks up the phone
Nowadays incoming calls are attended to by the security personnel or worse by the office boy.
DEATH OF THE SALESMAN:
Another disappearing species is the position of Salesman. There is literally no one interested in this entry level position. Salesman the life blood for any company, as a species has almost vanished. In their place we have the order takers, who call themselves sales coordinators.
ABSCONDING ASSISTANTS:
The breed which has totally vanished is the assistants who used to populate any office. They are now replaced by Executives, like administration executives and the like. No one wants to be an assistant; they all want to be executives with the attendant salaries from day one of their working life.
What has this got to do with the growth of IT industries?
1. You will find these people, fresh graduates or people with one to two years experience now working for the IT industries.
2. If any one is left they can be had at only at a salary which was usually reserved for the experienced.
3. After the IT industry has devoured all the worthwhile people other industries are left with the chaff and they are forced to recruit them because there is no one available.
A TATA or a RIL even now will not have any difficulty in getting suitable replacements.
The other companies are finding the going tough. Their profits are squeezed by the increasing competition and at the same time they are finding that their salary component is spiraling out of control.
Just a few years back these companies used to just advertise and fill up their vacancies without much thought. Now their HR departments are charged with the responsibilities of preparing and getting recruiting budgets approved.
HR department is now reduced to just recruiting machines and their KRA’s are recruiting, recruiting and recruiting.
As surely as the lack of cash flow can kill any business, this lack of quality human resource is slowly but surely suffocating the traditional industries.
