Layoffs in India spread more in the IT industry than the dreaded coronavirus outbreak in China.

Both are equally dangerous.

Are you angry? That, I am comparing layoffs in India with the coronavirus outbreak in China.

Comparing Layoffs in India with Coronavirus in China

Let me tell you that I know the consequences of coronavirus. It spreads like an epidemic. Moreover, It can kill without remorse.

But my question is, Isn’t layoff equally bad?

When one company announces layoff it is followed by other companies follow the suit in the same industry.

Don’t pull your hair out. I know it is a random comparison between two unusual things. Take it or leave it.

Psychological Effects of Layoffs

But try to understand the feeling of someone who is laid off. Usually after 5 or 10 or 20 years of experience.

As per the survey of TechGig, every experience level was impacted except for the freshers.

So ask someone who got laid off, “How do you feel about your layoff?” You will understand the feeling just by the look in their eyes.

They may have anger, frustration, depression or just pity. But you will certainly see it in their eyes.

Moreover, if a person is badly bruised may say something like, “I should have got coronavirus instead. At least the entire world would be concerned about me. In my layoff, nobody cares. Everyone thinks it is just my fault. Where do I go? What do I do? I don’t know?”

This “I don’t know?” is really depressing.

Layoffs can be crushing for the person and their families equally.

Imagine!

A software engineer who is sincere. Someone who has given 1 year or 5 years or 10 years or even 20 to this profession. Now gets laid off.

What will this person be thinking?

Why did I spend countless nights on my job when I could have given a few moments of happiness to my family?

Was it worth taking risk for my company, instead I could have started my own business?

Why was I sing praises of my company when my company was planning all the time to find a reason to fire me?

A layoff is a reason someone can go into depression. This happens because they have never experienced a life without a job. They have never faced a situation in their life without a steady flow of money in the form of their salary.

Personally, I believe layoffs are devastating.

I wonder why? Companies have to do this layoff thing. Is there no better way available to them.

And no company will talk openly about it. Every company wants to keep this topic under wraps. It is a hush-hush topic within the company. But the company will never come out and divulge the real numbers.

Recent layoffs in India – a numbers game.

So it was not surprising when TechGig released a report about a survey they did in 2019. They asked about 2,00,000 IT professionals in various metro cities a simple question.

The question they asked is this, “Do you personally know someone in the IT Sector, who has been asked to leave the organization in the last six months?”

A massive 68% said, YES.

This means 136,000 professionals said, Yes. They knew someone who was asked to leave the organization.

Imagine 68%. This is not a joke. This is serious. That is the reason nobody wants to talk about layoffs or unemployment.

That is the exact reason I am comparing Layoffs in India to coronavirus outbreak in China. No one wants to talk about coronavirus.

But people are talking more about coronavirus than layoffs.

Coronavirus Advisory: How to prevent coronavirus?

A couple of days back Centre for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory on their website about the prevention of coronavirus.

They said that though there is no vaccine currently to prevent coronavirus disease outbreak but we can still take some precautions to avoid this virus.

[su_note size=”17″ background=”#555555″ color=”#ffffee” radius=”3″]Here are some precautions to prevent the virus from spreading further.

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• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Use a facemask if you feel you are infected.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

Does it remind you of a similar advisory?

Remember the H1N1 Flu Outbreak? Even that started in China. Something is wrong with China.

Anyhow, these are some general instructions for every virus. It is good to follow them daily. Teach your kids to follow them. Just so that they are safe.

Does the IT Industry have a layoff advisory?

We saw the coronavirus advisory issued in public interest by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

But what about layoffs. Do we have a similar advisory about layoffs issued by the IT industry?

No!

No one issues any such advisory for layoffs. But if you listen carefully to industry experts, you will find something.

The industry experts say things from time to time. If you pay the right amount of attention to their messages then you those messages will reveal an indirect advisory.

So we are going to see these messages and derive our own advisory.

First, we are going to look at what these industry experts have to say about layoffs. Then we will try to understand the meaning of what they are saying, Next, we will prepare our own list of precautions to avoid layoffs in our life. Finally, I will give you some tried, tested and proven methods to avoid layoff till you retire.

Here are some of the messages from known people of the IT Industry in India.

IT industry: The biggest employer in India.

Mr. Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head of Times Jobs and TechGig said this about the IT Industry,

[su_testimonial style=”style-1″ name=”Ramathreya Krishnamurthi” designation=”Business Head” company=”TimesJobs and TechGig” url=”https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/miscellaneous/despite-layoffs-60-it-workers-get-jobs-within-6-monthstechgig-study/articleshow/62063737.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst” radius=”0″ image=”https://amitpatels.com/wp-content/uploads/icon-layoff-expert1.png”]IT and ITeS segments are one of the biggest employers in India. Hence what happens there in terms of employability or business will impact a large base, directly or indirectly. Volatile business scenarios did push the IT sector under a brink for some time, but it’s heart-warming to note that the laid-off IT workers can find employment soon enough. That is an encouraging note for the IT professionals and hiring industry.[/su_testimonial]

Do you see this coming?

IT industry is the biggest employer in India? The IT industry is considered to be India’s largest employer. It gives jobs to 40 lakh employees.

Mr. Ramthreya is talking about people who are laid off and find employment again within 6 months.

The TechGig report says that 63% of laid-off software engineers get a job within 6 months. While 25% of layoff engineers did not get a job even after 1 year.

If you are in the line of fire then you don’t want to be in that 25% of employees.

Don’t worry, we will see how to avoid this situation.

Impact of Automation on Employment

Mrs. Dipti Tandon, Vice President – Strategy & Head of Product at Times Internet Limited talked about the impact of AI and Automation on jobs.

[su_testimonial style=”style-1″ name=”Dipti Tandon” designation=”Vice President, Strategy & Head of Product” company=”at Times Internet Limited” url=”https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/miscellaneous/despite-layoffs-60-it-workers-get-jobs-within-6-monthstechgig-study/articleshow/62063737.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst” radius=”5″ image=”https://amitpatels.com/wp-content/uploads/icon-layoff-expert2.png”]Many people believe that the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation is the chief root cause of layoffs. Our survey, reveals that a whopping 33% of respondents feel that cost-cutting is the major reason for downsizing. Generally, when companies are not sure about their overseas businesses, they start cost-cutting at their end. Around 50 % of the respondents considered all the three factors – the rise of automation and AI, a freeze on hiring Indians abroad and cost-cutting – for the job.[/su_testimonial]

I strongly agree with her.

You see a general perception is always wrong. I have read numerous articles about the impact of AI and Automation on jobs.

And as Mrs. Dipti Tandon mentioned, that the real reason for layoffs is not new technologies.

In fact, the real reason for losing your job can be because of downsizing. The company that uses the layoffs strategy may be changing their focus, going into losses, or simply cutting costs.

We will talk more about AI and Automation in this article because I am going to share a video to become indispensable for the next 20 years in the software industry. Moreover, you will also find a way to make a good income with this.

Demand for IT Professionals in India

Mr. S J Raj, Senior Vice President HR Operations at Newgen Software talked about the increasing demand for IT Professionals in India.

[su_testimonial style=”style-1″ name=”S J Raj” designation=”Senior Vice President HR Operations” company=”at Newgen Software” url=”https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/miscellaneous/despite-layoffs-60-it-workers-get-jobs-within-6-monthstechgig-study/articleshow/62063737.cms” radius=”5″ image=”https://amitpatels.com/wp-content/uploads/icon-layoff-expert3.png”]The demand for IT professionals, specifically software engineers, will increase exponentially over the next decade.[/su_testimonial]

This is true. I can see the trends.

What Mr. S J Raj is saying is aligned with my thought process. The demand for IT professionals is growing.

There are two types of demand in IT Industry

• One is of people who build and create new technology or IT Professionals i.e. software engineers, quality assurance engineers, business analysts, data scientists, project managers, etc.
• Two are of people who use the technology created by the IT professionals i.e. everyone else who has to use a computer to do their work like accountants, real estate agents, taxi drivers, mechanics or everyone comes under the fold.

I believe, Jobs are not going away. Jobs are only changing in their shape and color.

If you identify the changes in the IT industry and adapt yourself to the new environment then you can become indispensable in the IT Industry.

Later in this article, we will see how you can achieve permanent freedom from layoffs in the IT Industry.

Can layoff be prevented by Can doing a course or certification?

Mr. Altaf Halde, Global Business Head at NII Consulting talked about courses and certifications.

[su_testimonial style=”style-1″ name=”Altaf Halde” designation=”Global Business Head” company=”at NII Consulting” url=”https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/miscellaneous/despite-layoffs-60-it-workers-get-jobs-within-6-monthstechgig-study/articleshow/62063737.cms” radius=”5″ image=”https://amitpatels.com/wp-content/uploads/icon-layoff-expert4.png”]Many times, IT professionals do a course or certification and later realize that it is no longer topical. This becomes the biggest challenge for them. Also, with so many products coming in, the technical skills set has to be updated on a regular basis.[/su_testimonial]

This is more about knowing what certifications you need and what you don’t need.

Mr. Altaf Halde rightly pointed out that the courses or certifications you are doing need to be evaluated. Because these certifications can be topical.

Meaning, Are the courses or certifications you are doing relevant today and tomorrow? Will the lose their value because of current advances in the IT Industry.

Based on the report and the discussion from experts I believe that we can create an advisory for layoffs just like there is an advisory for coronavirus.

Layoff Advisory: How to prevent layoffs in your job?

We know that currently there is no way we can prevent layoffs in the IT industry of India. But we can take some precautions to avoid it.

[su_note size=”17″ background=”#555555″ color=”#ffffee” radius=”3″]Here are some precautions to prevent the situation of layoff in your life.

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• Avoid discussion about layoff that can cause fear and discomfort.
• Avoid being a mediocre software engineer in the bottom 25%. 
• Avoid yourself from working on the same technology for long time.
• Constantly update yourself about technology trends in the IT Industry.
• Regularly take up courses and certification that are currently relevant to your industry. 
• Every year give interviews for new jobs even if you remain with your company to keep your interviewing skills sharp. 
• Do a regular check of your career path and see that you are moving in the right direction

If you follow this advisory then I am sure you will be able to avoid being laid off as much as possible. But you have to understand, what if your company itself closes down? That means everyone in the company has to face the ax.

So take precautions but don’t think that it will never happen. Prepare yourself to become indispensable.

How to become indispensable at work?

Here is a simple formula.

Invest your time, energy and money in learning new skills that will remain good for the next 10 to 20 years.

I said the formula is simple, I did not say that the path is easy.

This reminds me of a popular quote. If you understand this quote correctly and apply it to your profession or your industry then believe me you will become indispensable within your industry.

Here it is,

[su_testimonial style=”style-1″ name=”Evan Carmichael” designation=”Youtuber” company=”at Evan Carmichael Youtube Channel” url=”https://www.youtube.com/user/ModelingTheMasters” radius=”5″ image=”https://amitpatels.com/wp-content/uploads/Evan-Carmicheal-Icon.jpg”]Anything worth doing is not going to be easy. Anything worth doing is on the other side of a lot of difficulties, obstacles, pain and hard work.[/su_testimonial]

Yes, you have to work towards your freedom from layoffs. It is not going to be easy but with a little bit of mindset change, you can easily achieve it.

There are 22 streams of technologies where software engineers can get high paying jobs.

Watch this video where I reveal all the 22 streams of technologies that are most in-demand today. These technologies will remain in demand for a long time to come.

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If you have thoroughly watched this video then I will summarize what you will have to do to find the highest paying jobs in the software industry.

[su_note size=”17″ background=”#555555″ color=”#ffffee” radius=”3″]Here is a summary of what you need to do to get the highest paying job in the IT Industry.

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• Find out what jobs are there in the industry related to the stream you want to follow. 
• Study the Job Description and understand what programming languages, technology stack or skills are required by these jobs. 
• Download the Best Online Courses PDF here Best Online Courses for Top 22 Highest Paying Jobs for Software Engineers
• Do the right course, specialization or certification that is adequate to the jobs you are trying to find.
• On completion of the course ask for a raise at your company or find a more lucrative company that will pay you a high salary. 

Why focus on the highest paying jobs in the IT Industry?

You can only get a high paying job when you focus on the latest technology.

So you are killing two birds with one stone.

On one hand, you are learning the latest technology that makes your indispensable in the IT industry. So you no longer have to worry about layoffs.

On the other hand, you are making yourself capable to be paid a higher salary. How will you like more salary? Everyone likes it.

Companies will stand in a queue to hire you because you know the best technology. Instead of the other way round.

What next?

I know I started by comparing Layoffs with Coronavirus. And now we are at the juncture where you have some ideas, insights, tools, and tactics to take precautions against layoffs.

Just like Even Carmicheal said, “Anything worth doing is not going to be easy. Anything worth doing is on the other side of a lot of difficulties, obstacles, pain and hard work.”

Let us focus our attention on technology that may be difficult to learn but on the other side of that difficulty, obstacles, pain, and hard work will be the dream career we always imagined as software engineers.

Share this with your friends in the IT industry if you feel it is worth the time I have put in creating this article.

Stay focused. Stay rich.