The global energy player is looking at more than doubling its campus hiring in India. Most of the hiring in India will be focussed on technology and new-age talent needed for digital transformation.

India will be a major talent hub for Schneider Electric as the global major in energy management and automation is looking to create hundreds of jobs in the country as well as hire for global roles.

“India is becoming the hub for our international division and that creates a unique opportunity for us to create additional investments and additional jobs,” said Ferran Raurich, senior vice president of human resources at Schneider Electric, who was in Mumbai earlier this month on the anniversary of the merger of Larsen & Toubro’s electrical and automation business with Schneider’s India operations.

“We are not talking about jobs that are located here because of cost strategies but jobs that are located here because of competencies and there is a clear talent transformation that we are driving here,” Raurich told ET in an exclusive interaction. “Going ahead, we will be generating hundreds of jobs in India.”

Most of the hiring in India will be focussed on technology and new-age talent needed for digital transformation.

“We will be hiring for all kinds of profiles in India with a major focus on digital transformation including roles such as data analytics, data science, digital services, AI, among others,” Raurich said. “We are also creating a global HR services hub and from here we provide HR services to all the countries and we are also expanding our R&D functions.” Cyber security, R&D and innovation and internal IT are big areas of investment for the company in India.

The global energy player is also looking at more than doubling its campus hiring in India.

“We are more than doubling, even tripling the number of post graduates we hire from universities,” Raurich said. In India, Schneider Electric recruits about 150-200 from top campuses every year.

Raurich also emphasised on the need for skilling to stay relevant amid the rapid disruptions caused by digitization and technology transformation. “Skilling will be a very crucial factor for employability going ahead. Digitalisation is making a lot of people obsolete. Here we have a social responsibility to make sure that we work on the employability of people not only for themselves (employees) or ourselves (companies) but also for the society,” he said.

“Despite automation and digitization Schneider will keep creating more roles and more jobs in India but certainly with a different profile and that is where reskilling becomes crucial,” he added. “It is very important for people to understand the transformation.”

On virtual and remote working options, Raurich said it was important to have a balance of remote as well as face-to-face interactions. The number of physical meetings will come down compared with the pre-pandemic times, but there are certain engagements and strategy planning that must happen face-to-face, he added.

“From a physical stress, energy and well-being point of view the virtual channel is far more efficient…But the need for travel will vary based on the nature of the task at hand,” said Raurich.

https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/corporate-news/india-to-be-a-global-talent-hub-for-schneider-electric-to-create-hundreds-of-jobs/86577527