The recent layoffs have been creating quite some frenzy in the IT sector with numerous industry giants said to be handing out pink slips to employees. However, it looks like the storm is not restricted just to the IT sector. Apparently, techies, who were once the apple of almost everyone's eyes, are no longer in demand not just in the industry but also in the marriage market.
The demand for software engineers in the marriage market has seen a drop, and people seeking to tie the knot do not really prefer techies anymore, be it on matrimonial websites or through traditional matchmakers.
Gourav Rakshit, CEO of Shaadi.com, revealed to the Economic Times that the percentage of women seeking IT professionals has gone down in 2017, compared to the previous years. "We have also simultaneously seen that the number of women looking for life partners in the US has been declining rapidly, especially since November," Rakshit told ET. "What's interesting is that the two may be correlated given political developments in the US."
Another Mumbai-based matchmaker agreed with Rakshit's observation and explained that the number of women looking to marry techies has gone down since the mass layoffs were reported. "People are looking at other professions first, especially those perceived to be more stable," she said.
However, there are a few sites who beg to differ. Co-founder of iBluebottle, another matrimonial site, said that there was no such dip in people seeking IT professionals as a spouse. However, he did say that the dip may be negligible on iBluebottle because it sees a very little involvement of the parents.
"Professionals are aware of the realities of the job market, and realise that what is happening in IT today could happen in some other sector tomorrow," he said. "But parents setting up matches are another story altogether."
Rohan Mathur, senior vice-president at Jeevansathi.com, also explained to the daily that women are still seeking spouses in the US and the drop is not as big as it is made to be. "But it's not a sharp drop as one might have expected considering the talk over IT job cuts," he added.
Meanwhile, the slowdown in the IT sector is not getting better any time soon, predicts Kotak Institutional Equities. While the reasons behind the slowdown may be different for every company, the factor seems to be affecting the industry as a whole.
A cause of concern has been automation in the sector. Apart from laying off employees, IT giants are also hiring a lesser number of employees each year and automation could be one of the reasons. Most of the companies now rely on digital services.
And the situation for men seeking spouses is unlikely to get better until the IT sector sees some brighter days.
