Jet employees present 'value' hiring proposition

Thousands of employees at now-shuttered Jet Airways might be staring at an uncertain future but other airlines will see "value" in hiring such experienced people even though they might end up getting relatively lower pay packets, according to HR experts.

Demand continues to outstrip talent supply in the Indian aviation sector, which is one of the fastest growing in the world.

Cash-starved Jet Airways, which has been flying for nearly 26 years, has around 23,000 employees, including contractual staff. It announced a temporary suspension of operations on April 17.

Experts observed that employees would have been under stress at the airline for a while, though quite a few would have been hopeful of a turnaround of the carrier. Under the current circumstances, they might have to either shift base to Tier-II or Tier-III cities or accept job offers having lower compensation, they opined.

Staffing firm TeamLease Services Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Rituparna Chakraborty said that the aviation sector in India has immense potential and if one goes by the current equation, the supply of ground staff, crew and pilots are still low in comparison to the demand that exists.

"In my mind, other airlines will definitely see value in hiring the experienced and highly well-trained staff that Jet has currently," Chakraborty told PTI.

She also noted that there is a significant demand for core staff while non-specialised staff should look at an alternative industry for suitable functional roles.

The country's oldest private carrier, Jet Airways has a substantial number of employees who have put in more than two decades at the airline.

Executive search company GlobalHunt's Managing Director Sunil Goel said there has been a huge expansion in terms of new airports and connectivity in Tier-II and Tier-III cities through air transportation. So, there is a consistent demand for talent in the aviation sector, he added.

"Though morale of Jet Airways employees must be down looking at current scenario but as long as they will be open to exploring job opportunities in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, they will be having enough options to explore," Goel said.

Tier-II and Tier-III cities are those located in non-metro areas.

Besides, the aviation sector on a high growth trajectory, there is also intense competition among domestic airlines.

"In such a scenario, with Jet airways shutting down, most of the experienced employees of Jet are expected to be absorbed with the competition. Non-aviation specific employees are also expected to find a lot of demand for their skills in other sectors," SHRM India's Head of Advisory Services Nishith Upadhyaya said.

SHRM is an HR grouping.

On Friday, SpiceJet said it has hired more than 500 employees of Jet Airways, including 100 pilots, and open to inducting more such people.

"As we expand and grow, we are giving first preference to those who have recently lost their jobs due to the unfortunate closure of Jet Airways," SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh had said.

SpiceJet has already provided jobs to more than 100 pilots, over 200 cabin crew and 200 plus technical and airport staff recently, he had said.