It is raining technology jobs in India, as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an accelerated shift to digital. The tech industry across the globe has seen a huge rise in demand for skilled talent. Companies are offering eye-popping salaries to snap up engineers.

IT services industry in India saw 81,000 hirings in November-December, according to hiring agencies. Technology firms are struggling to get their hands on quality talent, and hence are willing to pay a premium when they do. Salary expectations have soared, with hikes ranging anywhere between 20 percent and 80 percent, depending on the roles.

According to a recent report by talent consulting firm, HAN Digital, as demand for tech talent peaks, 1 million employees will potentially resign this year to pursue careers elsewhere.

Simply put, there is a war for talent.IT firms, multi-national technology companies, tech captives of large enterprises, startups, unicorns and hyperscalers such as Amazon and Google are all jostling to hire the best of the lot. And it’s likely this trend is here to stay for a while.

So what’s driving the surge in hiring, and what are the top tech skills in demand? What are the salary hikes on offer? And how can engineers make the most of the hiring spree? In the fourth episode of Moneycontrol Masterclass, our expert panel will try to break down these questions.

We are featuring four key voices across the IT, startups, academia and HR consulting universe to give viewers an inside look at the war for talent.

Moneycontrol has always modelled its journalism to help readers make sense of complex events through exhaustive reporting, deep analysis and sharp commentary. Through the Moneycontrol Masterclass, we shine a light on topics that matter so that readers are prepared to navigate the future and the forces shaping it. Masterclass is a live, virtual event that decodes the most important topics shaping our economy. It features experts who help viewers understand events and topics that really matter to them.

Watch Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer, Tech Mahindra, Ashwini Asokan, CEO, Mad Street Den, S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Dean, Sastra University and Kamal Karanth, Co-founder, Xpheno decode the demand for talent live on Friday, April 2 at 6 pm.