With newspapers screaming brutal layoffs every day, companies looking to hire in this market should have plenty of options, right? It turns out not. As many as 52 startups, including unicorns like Byju's, Unacademy, Ola, and Udaan, have laid off more than 17,000 employees till November this year to cut costs. And on the other hand, tech firms like PhonePe, Flipkart, Dunzo, and Swiggy have over 300 openings among them, according to listings on LinkedIn. But they are unable to fill these positions the way they were able to in 2021. Employees have become picky about their jobs. This 'settled' talent does not want to trade its sense of security for a hike. Moreover, employers are still looking for the talent they want from the pool that was let go. This means potential employees and employers are in a standoff, sizing each other up. Employees are becoming more discreet while accepting new offers. At the same time, human-resource departments, too, are taking almost thrice the number of days to close a position than before—thanks to the prevailing air of scepticism among potential recruits. If anything, more layoffs have only shrunk the 'talent pool' of promising recruits...
