A job portal launched by a group of Technopark employees to help those from the IT sector who have lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be of much help to them during this period of crisis.
As many as 75 people have now found new jobs through the jobs.prathidhwani.org portal, run by Prathidhwani, a welfare organisation of IT employees across Kerala.
In May, The Hindu had reported the launch of the job portal by the employees. Since the launch, 1,500 job posts have been listed on it by 100 different employers, with 1,200 people registering for jobs, including those who are employed at present and are looking for better options.
On Tuesday, Sasi Pilacheri Meethal, CEO of Technoparks and IT Parks, Kerala, launched an improved version of the portal through a videoconferencing event.
“We give priority to those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic period. While registering, they have an option to mention this. Such profiles will be highlighted. Employers who are searching for candidates can filter to see just the ones whose careers were affected by COVID-19. This will be helpful for those looking for experienced hands and also wants to help out those who have lost their jobs,” says Nishin T.N., a representative of Prathidhwani.
The team running the portal collects statistics on the trending jobs that employers are looking for the most in the portal and plans to conduct training sessions to upskill those who were laid off, with the help of the Prathidhwani technical forum. As part of the weekly technical sessions, training will be imparted on these trending technologies.
Prathidhwani also recently carried out a drive to identify people who have lost their jobs during this period and are in dire need of financial assistance. As part of this, 31 such employees were identified and ₹5,000 each was provided to them, using money pooled from amongst the employees.
Some IT companies in Kerala, including in Technopark and Infopark in Kochi, had laid off employees during the pandemic period, without even the necessary compensation. Although ‘performance issues’ were cited in all cases, those who have got the pink slips say that this is just a reason being made up to cut down numbers and save on employee cost. Many of them have been struggling post the job loss, as they have loans and EMIs pending, as well as rents and school fees to pay.
