EY plans to hire 9,000 new tech staff in India this year

13 January 2021 Consultancy.in

EY India has unveiled ambitious plans for 2021, featuring 9,000 new recruits, a Covid-19 focused ‘Techathon,’ and indications of potential tech-based acquisitions.

New recruits

First on the agenda is bolstering the digital workforce in India, with 9,000 new recruits specialised in technology skills in the pipeline. EY is targeting students from the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) background, and experienced hires who have developed expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, analytics and other Industry 4.0 technologies.

The goal is to build the capacity to serve a growing pool of clients in India that are looking for digital solutions- “Today, our clients, both in government and private businesses, are embarking on technology-led transformation and we are supporting them in this journey,” explained EY India Partner and Consulting Practice Leader Rohan Sachdev.

Rohan Sachdev, Mahesh Makhija, EY

“With the pace of digital adoption accelerating exponentially, we are strengthening capabilities in emerging technology roles and significantly intensifying our hiring efforts in the coming year,” he added. The new recruits will join an EY India workforce of more than 50,000 professionals spread across offices, global delivery centres and member firms.

“Our people remain at the center of our strategy to meet the growing demands of our clients,” explained Mahesh Makhija, Partner and Technology Consulting Leader at EY India.

The high volume of recruits is not a new phenomenon. Already in 2019, the firm had announced plans to hire more than 23,000 professionals, mostly from STEM backgrounds. No doubt, Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works – most of the Big Four had to make cuts to staff or salaries. Now, at the other end of the Covid-induced financial crunch, the firm is in a position to rebuild momentum.

Digital focus

Another goal is to further EY’s digital transformation solutions offering – spanning solutions such as Asterisk, Symphony, Atom, DigiGST and DigiFAAS – that cover myriad functions including supply chain planning, governance, risk, financial reporting and several others.

“EY in India is developing a broader range of new digital proprietary tools and solutions which we are looking to take to scale across organisations and geographies. We are using our sector knowledge to deliver tailored digital solutions and services to support our clients’ transformation plans and leveraging the managed services model to help them navigate the volatility,” explained Makhija.

While new recruits will play a large role in this expanding tech focus, EY also plans on making strategic tech-focused acquisitions this year, according to the release. “We are making bold investments in our organisation particularly in technology, data and through strategic acquisitions while continuing to expand our alliance and ecosystem relationships,” said Sachdev.

Techathon

With all these plans in the works, EY is also focused on solving problems in the immediate term – specifically the Covid-19 pandemic. Countries are already grappling with their Covid-19 vaccination strategies, and in India this problem is 1.3 billion strong. EY Techathon 2021: #iSolve4aBilllion Challenge is aimed at putting the country’s best young techie minds on the job.

“EY is inviting university students from all disciplines to come forward and develop novel solutions to immunize Indians, considering the challenges of the country’s vast geography, demographics and infrastructure. EY is inviting university students from all disciplines to come forward and develop novel solutions to immunise Indians, considering the challenges of the country’s vast geography, demographics and infrastructure,” explained the release.

Cash prizes aside, students stand to gain first hand experience with the latest in tech, as well as opportunities to engage with experts and EY mentors. Some students will also find a place in EY’s Technology Consulting Team – adding to the Big Four accounting and advisory firm’s rapidly expanding digital workforce.

Heating up

EY is not the only Big Four player to announce ambitious plans for India in recent weeks. At the end of last year, Deloitte Global CEO Punit Renjen revealed plans to double the firm’s India workforce in the next three years, with a similar tech focus in recruitment.