Rethinking Engineering Careers in India: The Post-IT Talent Transition

Over the past year, hiring patterns across India Inc have begun to display a clear divergence. Recruitment in the IT services sector — long considered the country’s white-collar growth engine — has visibly slowed, pressured by weak Western demand and the rapid adoption of AI-driven automation. Meanwhile, non-IT sectors, particularly core engineering industries, are quietly expanding their hiring plans.

This twin dynamic has been repeatedly reported in the Economic Times's Tech and Careers sections and in the BusinessLine’s Company and Infotech sections, respectively. The emerging picture is unmistakable: manufacturing-led sectors—renewables, automotive, EVs, defence, chemicals, heavy engineering, construction technology, and utilities—are revving up.

This has naturally triggered a question with significant implications for labour mobility:
Can IT services engineers relocate into core engineering roles?

The answer is neither a simple 'yes' nor a flat 'no'. Instead, it lies in understanding how core engineering itself is transforming.



The Old Divide Is Breaking — Slowly, but Structurally

Traditionally, IT and core engineering sat on opposite ends of the skill spectrum. IT engineers worked on software systems for global clients, while core engineering jobs demanded deep domain familiarity with physical systems—plants, equipment, materials, circuits, structures, and industrial processes.

A direct transition from IT to core engineering was therefore rare.

However, this division is being reshaped by an accelerating wave of industrial modernisation. Driven by regulatory pressures, investor expectations, client requirements, and national industrial policy, India’s core sectors are undergoing a shift towards Industry 4.0 and 5.0.

This shift is characterised by:

automation and robotics

digital manufacturing platforms

industrial IoT and sensor networks

AI-driven predictive maintenance

cloud-based SCADA and operations

green energy integration

digital twins and simulation environments

ESG-compliance dashboards

energy-efficiency analytics


These developments are creating a new category of work: “digital core engineering”.

And it is here that IT engineers find their first realistic opportunity.



A New Layer of Jobs: Where IT and Engineering Converge

Digital core engineering roles require the combination of:

software engineering logic

data and automation skills

moderate domain understanding of the industry

the ability to work with real-world constraints (safety, compliance, materials, equipment)


In practice, these roles include:

digital manufacturing engineers

PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) specialists

industrial data analysts

CAD automation engineers

IoT/edge-integration engineers

predictive-maintenance analysts

digital quality & inspection specialists

energy and emissions dashboard developers

simulation-support engineers

cloud–SCADA integration technologists


These are not “classical” IT positions, nor are they traditional plant engineering roles. They exist in a hybrid zone—one that barely existed 10 years ago but is now expanding rapidly.

And in this zone, IT engineers bring strengths that classic core engineers often lack: software fluency, systems thinking, automation comfort, and data-handling experience.



Not a Free-for-All: The Limits of the Transition

Despite the expanding possibilities, the transition from IT to core engineering is not automatic. Most IT engineers have been disconnected from their original disciplines (mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical) for years. Their work experience is usually rooted in:

application maintenance

testing

cloud or infrastructure support

ERP customisation

ticket-driven workflows


None of this directly maps to plant operations, manufacturing processes, structural design, or process engineering.

Therefore, the shift is possible only with structured reskilling, including:

discipline refreshers (circuits, thermodynamics, structures, safety basics)

exposure to domain-specific tools (CAD/CAE, SCADA systems, simulation platforms)

hands-on familiarity with industrial processes

understanding of safety and compliance norms


In short, the relocation will likely not be immediate, but feasible with targeted up-skilling, and only into the digital-adjacent segments of core industries.



Why the Demand Will Grow for a Decade

The demand for digital-engineering hybrids is rising across nearly every major Indian industry:

EVs and battery manufacturing

green hydrogen and renewables

semiconductor assembly

defence production

metro and rail infrastructure

transmission and smart-grid upgrades

pharmaceuticals and biotech

steel, cement, and materials with mandatory emissions reporting

drones and aerospace systems


India’s regulatory landscape—especially around carbon reporting, quality compliance, and industrial automation—further deepens the demand.

Manufacturers frequently report that they cannot find enough engineers who can work at the intersection of software and physical systems. This shortage directly increases the relevance of IT engineers who are willing to reskill into domain-rich roles.



So Is There a Ray of Hope for IT Engineers?

I think there's more than a ray—there is a structurally rising pathway.

But it is a very specific pathway.

IT engineers will not replace classical plant engineers.
They will fill the emerging digital layer that connects software to industry.

This layer will account for a growing share of engineering jobs over the next 5–10 years, as India’s manufacturing ambitions deepen and global pressures reshape compliance and operations.

For IT engineers who choose to embrace domain learning, the opportunities ahead are not shrinking—they are shifting.

And for India’s labour market, this could become the most significant talent transition of the 2025–2035 decade.

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