ONLY 7 per cent of Indian colleges achieve full campus placement, as the top challenges for a significant percentage of recruiters are skill gap and the inability to discover the right talent, says a report. According to the annual Unstop Talent Report 2024, as many as 91 per cent of students believe their college curricula offer an adequate level of preparedness for a job, but, 66 per cent of recruiters and 42 per cent of university partners feel the skill gap and lack of preparation, respectively, are major challenges in campus recruitment. The report found that 88 per cent of HR practitioners expressed a strong preference for skill-based hiring, prioritising candidates' abilities over other factors such as past experience, academics, references, internships, and projects.

 

The findings are based on responses gathered from an extensive survey involving over 11,000 students, university partners, and human resource practitioners across the country. Additional insights were also gathered through conversations with HR leaders which divulged their views on employee desires, the role of mentorship, competition, and more. “By highlighting the preferences and concerns of students and HR professionals, we aim to bridge the gap between talent supply and demand, enabling more informed decision-making and fostering a more efficient and effective hiring process,” Unstop Founderand CEO Ankit Aggarwal said. The report further noted thatthe looming fear of layoffs hasprompted three out of five (60per cent) students to prioritisejob security over pay hikes. Formost of them, in-hand salaryremained the most valuablesalary component, followed byperks and benefits. Moreover, a significant percentage of B-school studentsare preferring established andlegacy firms and working forstartups has lost its charm. Further, marketing emergedas the top preferred domainfor B-school students, while Finance and Analyticstopped the list for Arts andScience students. In Arts, Science & Commerce, the most common offer formen was Rs 6-10 LPA and forwomen was 2-5 LPA.