BackVirtual job fairs help companies reach out to blue-collar workforce
According to a recent Teamlease report, demand for blue-collar workforce is set to rise in logistics, warehouse executives and technical support staff over traditional roles like security and maintenance staff
PremiumMUMBAI : As the economy limps back to normalcy and labour returns to cities in search of jobs, companies looking to hire for blue-collar positions are turning to virtual job fairs for recruitment.
Roles such as delivery persons, ward boys, drivers and maintenance staff are being met across top cities, through virtual job fairs, for companies like Big Basket, Ola, ITC, Amazon and Delhivery among others.
Although virtual job fairs for white collar jobs have been around for some time, the pandemic has created an opportunity to extend it to the blue collar roles as well.
"Most of our client requirements are required to be resolved within three-five days, and virtual job fairs turn out to be a great way to activate supply faster and in bulk for specific pin-codes. With remote hiring becoming the new normal, virtual job fairs create two-way access for the participants in current times, and definitely help us cater to upcoming festive season demands greatly," said Annanya Sarthak, Co-founder, Awign, a workforce management and fulfilment platforms.
While smartphones are a requirement for participation in these fairs, recruiters and companies are providing support on Whatsapp and call among others to help job seekers apply for relevant positions. These job fairs consist of time bound openings across companies that candidates can apply for online. With a severe manpower crunch following the early days of the pandemic due to the migrant labour exodus, new age companies are also keen on hiring remotely.
Recruiters are working with people who provide solutions across background verification channel partners, auditing executives to business development executives, operation executive and telecalling executives among others.
The process is further simplified with platforms that provide immediate and essential background verification via driving license, Aadhar cards and PAN cards since blue collar roles do not require extensive academic verification with documents sent via WhatsApp. These solutions also allow companies to employ people across specific locations/ pin codes basis their availability.
Primary sectors include e-commerce, FMCG, Fintech, Edtech, Hospitality, IT to F&B and Financial services, etc.
Kaushik Banerjee, Vice President & Business Head for Teamlease.com & Freshersworld.com said that smartphone accessibility was already prevalent among the blue-collar job seekers given the opportunities across jobs that use some kind of customer and consignment update models using smartphones.
“What has added to the reach is the availability of virtual job fair platforms in regional languages like Hindi, Telugu, Nepali, Tamil, Malayalam among others. The language compatibility immediately helped us improve engagement with the workforce through SMS and Whatsapp outreach," said Banerjee. The company received over 30,000 applications for blue-collar roles for a recent week long job fair.
In order to ensure that candidates can manoeuvre easily through the virtual job portals, the functions are limited to basic yes/no queries. In case the candidates falter, they can give missed calls or ask for a call back or telephonic assistance.
According to a recent Teamlease report, demand for blue-collar workforce is set to rise in logistics, warehouse executives and technical support staff (catering to ecommerce) over traditional roles like security and maintenance staff.
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