Electric vehicle firms may offer 7.5 lakh jobs in 5 years. Be ready with these skills

She said that hiring in the sector is likely to surpass 40 percent by the end of 2022. While she could not share an exact number of people employed in the sector as functions overlap, she asserted the EV segment aims to create about 7.5 lakh jobs in the next five years.

Tata Motors recently announced a hiring boost in the EV space, and charging and mobility solutions company Magenta plans to hire over 340 employees in 2022. Bajaj Auto, too, plans to employ close to 11,000 people at its new EV plant in Pune.

According to Loliwala, this demand will increase rapidly alongside ample availability of skilled workforce from STEM (science, tech, engineering and maths) streams that train students in information and communication tech.

Companies are making hefty investments and deploying gig workforce and freshers for roles in the new segment. According to Loliwala, those with B.E and Diploma in electronics and electrical fields get first preference.

This is followed by mechanical, she said, from where doors can be opened to multiple functions of data analysis, development, design, monitoring, and chip simulation. “These are all aspects where with a certain skill set and additional learning tech and tools, new hires can be made job-ready,” Loliwala said.

Companies also consider graduates, postgraduates, and doctorates from streams such as instrumentation and chemical, according to Raman SR, chief people officer at nanotechnology firm Log9 Materials.

“Right now, EV is not offered as a subject or specialisation in engineering colleges. Hence, students can use tools like Autobot Academy and Skill Lync to upskill themselves and prepare for the job market. They can look for internship opportunities to enable more hands-on experience,” he said.

TeamLease’s official also said most firms adopt a hire and train module.

TeamLease’ Loliwala said EV hiring is largely taking place in three categories — R&D, product development, and vehicle integration. R&D includes jobs in designing, data, systems, programming, and Artificial Intelligence, and vehicle integration includes roles in structure, wiring harness, body trimming, paddling, engine, and steering.

If EV takes charge of hiring in the auto industry in the future, vehicle integration comes to play where body structure, trims and aggregates are roles where those from traditional car-making backgrounds can easily be accommodated. According to Loliwala, too, for vehicle integration roles, those working with large traditional players are a ready fit, and they needn’t have worked in the EV segment.

“But for product development and research and development (R&D), a mix of a lot of technical and technological skills in the non-native IT sector is needed. Those who are now looking for a career in either segment are easily available for this sector,” she added.

Raman SR, meanwhile, looks for those who have a background in working in cell technology, battery pack development, and charging infrastructure.

The EV sector is largely focused on design, technology, component, assembly, and electronics. According to Raman SR, EV-specific roles revolve around cell chemistry development, cell fabrication, battery material research and cell and battery management systems, and there is immense opportunity for people in charging infrastructure, sales, and operations teams (service engineers) as well.

EV space is also opening up to employees engaged in purely technology-driven organisations. Those who have worked with software like CAD at design engineering firms can grab the opportunity to get into the game with bigger players to drive their skill sets better.

For roles in sales, people need not come necessarily from an EV sales background. Companies now look at variety, considering EVs will call for after-sales regarding vehicle support (customer service assistance), charging system support, etc.

“If one needs support for an EV, one would have to reach out to customer support because they can’t take an EV to a traditional garage for a solution,” Loliwala said.

With EV set to hit the road full fledge in the next 5-7 years, backend support will be crucial, and that’s where the need for freshers arises for jobs in customer support, customer sales, after services, AMC contract, she said, adding, “from designing to colouring your vehicles, everything will need to be driven through technology.”

According to Loliwala, employees are hired as junior and senior engineers. They come with an experience of 1-8 years and fall under the salary bracket of Rs 3-12 lakh, which depends on experience, their institution, total GPA and domain segment in which they can be trained.

Organisations are making applying for jobs easily accessible and available on their career portals. However, they face the challenge of bifurcation, validation and testing of resumes, which is done via channels like online applications that are tech and AI-driven and recruitment firms, that not only sort CVs but also provide initial training to skill new hires.

Campus hiring, however, is yet to pick up the pace.