Fears of Covid third wave hurt hiring at mobile handset companies

New Delhi | Mumbai: Recruiters and handset makers remain cautious on hiring despite extension of productivity-linked incentive scheme timeline by a year to 2025-26 amid fears of a third wave of Covid-19 and as recruiting fully vaccinated employees becomes a challenge.

“We are cautiously optimistic that if there is no third wave and all adult population is vaccinated by December 2021, new hiring will start picking up in FY22 and we may create 20% more jobs in six years than what was targeted initially,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of industry body India Cellular Electronics Association.

The five-year initial target was to create 200,000 permanent and 300,000 temporary jobs. ICEA represents Apple, iPhone makers Foxconn, Wistron and other manufacturers like Lava, Bhagwati, UTL and Optiemus, among others.