Business conglomerate Honeywell said on Sunday that it is considering to increase its India headcount by about 1,000 employees next year as it expects growth to bounce back in line with global economic recovery.
The company is also planning to provide bio-fuel technology for the country's airlines industry.
"This year the growth has been flat, but still we are hiring 500-700 people for the entire group in India. Next year we should recruit about 1,000 people as our domestic base expands," Honeywell Automation India Managing Director Vimal Kapur told PTI.
The company, which has an employee strength of 11,000 people, has been adding about 1,000 staff every year in line with its annual growth during the last few years, he added.
"The new recruitments will be done in all our verticals, including R&D, avionics (aircraft cockpit system), auto components and chemicals division," he said.
On Honeywell India's, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the US-based firm, new initiatives in the country, Kapur said: "We are developing bio jet fuel technology as part of our energy saving initiative and the test flights are being carried out in the West. Our aim is to introduce this in India."
The company plans to work in conjunction with fuel suppliers, like HPCL and BPCL, for use of the technology in the Indian aviation industry, he added.
Showing posts with label new openings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new openings. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
IT market, new openings
Accentia to add 2,000 jobs at techno-lodges
The Kerala IT department’s decision to roll out techno-lodges, making IT infrastructure available at the panchayat level, has drawn instant interest from the industry, with Accentia Technologies announcing that it intends to add 2,000 jobs to be based out of these techno-lodges.
Accentia CEO Pradeep Viswambharan said his company planned to create these jobs across the villages of Kerala where the IT department and the local panchayats would develop requisite infrastructure for the IT industry. Healthcare receivables cycle management (HRCM) major Accentia, based at the Technopark here, had recently commenced operations from the UK, with the objective of tapping potential markets in Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.
The first two of the techno-lodges in Kerala, both located in Kollam district, have been fully taken up by Accentia Technologies. Mr Viswambharan said the company would base its production centres at these lodges and that all openings generated in these centres would be given to graduates from the respective villages.
He said the company was willing to take up more space at the upcoming techno-lodges, and that the political leadership had promised an environment free of hartals in these villages. Accentia has a presence in Oregon and New Jersey, US and in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE besides over half a dozen cities in India.
Accentia CEO Pradeep Viswambharan said his company planned to create these jobs across the villages of Kerala where the IT department and the local panchayats would develop requisite infrastructure for the IT industry. Healthcare receivables cycle management (HRCM) major Accentia, based at the Technopark here, had recently commenced operations from the UK, with the objective of tapping potential markets in Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.
The first two of the techno-lodges in Kerala, both located in Kollam district, have been fully taken up by Accentia Technologies. Mr Viswambharan said the company would base its production centres at these lodges and that all openings generated in these centres would be given to graduates from the respective villages.
He said the company was willing to take up more space at the upcoming techno-lodges, and that the political leadership had promised an environment free of hartals in these villages. Accentia has a presence in Oregon and New Jersey, US and in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE besides over half a dozen cities in India.
IT market, new openings, NRIs, TCS
TCS wants a global workforce
India's largest software services exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is aiming to move beyond its traditional Western market to serve new transnational companies in the emerging markets to become a truly global company.
"We want to become global not just in terms of sales but from a people perspective," TCS Head Natarajan Chandrasekaran told the Financial Times in an interview.
Multinationals in emerging markets now account for about one-fifth of the company's sales. TCS has operations in about 42 countries and about nine per cent of its workforce is foreign. At present, it contributes nearly 10 per cent of the revenue of the Tata conglomerate.
Besides diversifying its client base, TCS is pursuing an "integrated full service" business model to garner higher revenue.
Under this model, TCS would design, develop and manage a given client's software as well as maintain its hardware systems and handle its business processes.
After years of double-digit - sometimes even triple-digit-growth, India' outsourcing companies got battered pursuant to the global economic slowdown as their largest clients, the global financial services groups, faltered under the pressure.
Accordingly, TCS' Chandrasekaran told FT that the company has to restore growth first as the past six quarters were challenging as revenue grew just 7 per cent for the year ended March, down more than 30 per cent previously.
However, Chandrasekaran was optimistic about a recovery and said that whether the global recovery is "V-shaped, W-shaped or 'square root'-shaped", clients will look to the offshore outsourcing industry to cut costs.
The Indian Information Technology industry including -- TCS and its peers such as Infosys Technologies and Wipro -- played a major part in "the country's transformation from ox-cart economy to fast-growing, sophisticated Asian giant."
The IT industry generated $47 billion in exports in the fiscal year ending in March and claims it has created nearly half of India's urban jobs directly and indirectly.
"We want to become global not just in terms of sales but from a people perspective," TCS Head Natarajan Chandrasekaran told the Financial Times in an interview.
Multinationals in emerging markets now account for about one-fifth of the company's sales. TCS has operations in about 42 countries and about nine per cent of its workforce is foreign. At present, it contributes nearly 10 per cent of the revenue of the Tata conglomerate.
Besides diversifying its client base, TCS is pursuing an "integrated full service" business model to garner higher revenue.
Under this model, TCS would design, develop and manage a given client's software as well as maintain its hardware systems and handle its business processes.
After years of double-digit - sometimes even triple-digit-growth, India' outsourcing companies got battered pursuant to the global economic slowdown as their largest clients, the global financial services groups, faltered under the pressure.
Accordingly, TCS' Chandrasekaran told FT that the company has to restore growth first as the past six quarters were challenging as revenue grew just 7 per cent for the year ended March, down more than 30 per cent previously.
However, Chandrasekaran was optimistic about a recovery and said that whether the global recovery is "V-shaped, W-shaped or 'square root'-shaped", clients will look to the offshore outsourcing industry to cut costs.
The Indian Information Technology industry including -- TCS and its peers such as Infosys Technologies and Wipro -- played a major part in "the country's transformation from ox-cart economy to fast-growing, sophisticated Asian giant."
The IT industry generated $47 billion in exports in the fiscal year ending in March and claims it has created nearly half of India's urban jobs directly and indirectly.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
new openings
IIMB gets 180 slot zero offers, highest across IIMs
The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore has bagged 180 "slot zero" (the first two days) offers for the batch of 348 students for year 2010, the highest across all IIMs for summer placements.
"The entire batch of 348 students, the biggest ever batch at IIMB, was placed within a span of five days by over 150 companies, with as many 180 slot zero offers being made, the highest across all IIMs", Prof P D Jose, chairperson of the placement committee, told reporters.
More than 50% of the batch was placed by the end of Slot Zero (the first two days of placement offers).
The major recruiters included Goldman Sachs, Citi, HSBC, ABG, Nomura, Bain & Co, Standard Chartered, A T Kearney, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Co, Credit Suisse, Macquarie, Merril Lynch, Morgan Stanley, J P Morgan and Barclay's Capital.
Recruiters from Sales & Marketing formed the major chunk (21 per cent) as a result of more number of FMCG companies this time, followed by Investment Banking (19 per cent), finance (16 per cent), consulting (15 per cent), general management (12 per cent), IT (9 per cent) and private equity (three per cent).
"There was a welcome jump in Investment Banking this time compared to last year (14 per cent). It was Investment Banking which occupied the top slot last time as far as recruiters were concerned", Jose said.
Eighty-nine major offers were made with the highest from Goldman Sachs (13), closely followed by Citi and HSBC (nine each).
"The entire batch of 348 students, the biggest ever batch at IIMB, was placed within a span of five days by over 150 companies, with as many 180 slot zero offers being made, the highest across all IIMs", Prof P D Jose, chairperson of the placement committee, told reporters.
More than 50% of the batch was placed by the end of Slot Zero (the first two days of placement offers).
The major recruiters included Goldman Sachs, Citi, HSBC, ABG, Nomura, Bain & Co, Standard Chartered, A T Kearney, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Co, Credit Suisse, Macquarie, Merril Lynch, Morgan Stanley, J P Morgan and Barclay's Capital.
Recruiters from Sales & Marketing formed the major chunk (21 per cent) as a result of more number of FMCG companies this time, followed by Investment Banking (19 per cent), finance (16 per cent), consulting (15 per cent), general management (12 per cent), IT (9 per cent) and private equity (three per cent).
"There was a welcome jump in Investment Banking this time compared to last year (14 per cent). It was Investment Banking which occupied the top slot last time as far as recruiters were concerned", Jose said.
Eighty-nine major offers were made with the highest from Goldman Sachs (13), closely followed by Citi and HSBC (nine each).
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
H1-B, new openings, NRIs, TCS
TCS employing local talent in U.S.
To expand its U.S. operation, TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) plans to hire 1,000 local workers at its new facility near Cincinnati, Ohio, by the end of 2010, reports DNA.
The company opened a $20 million delivery and software development centre in Milford, Cincinnati in Ohio, in March last year - in a bid to win federal contracts and be closer to the headquarters of its U.S. clients. Suryakant, President of TCS North America said, "The Cincinnati region is a great place for U.S. to recruit local talent to meet the demands of our customers as they grow out of the downturn."
The ohio facility is also aimed at securing what some major Indian service providrs are chasing - defence and avionics work. TCS is reportedly in talks with Boeing and Lockheed Martin for defence and aerospace contracts. This work can only be done by American citizens or green card holders.
Recently, the company bagged projects related to unemployment insurance for the states of Nebraska, New Mexico and Mississippi. "The U.S. by far our largest market and the seven hills park facility in Ohio plays an integral role in our strategy of putting our customers first," said Suryakant.
Currently, TCS employs 15,000 people in the U.S. The company has been shipping quite a bit of work to U.S, ignoring India's popular IT hubs.
The company opened a $20 million delivery and software development centre in Milford, Cincinnati in Ohio, in March last year - in a bid to win federal contracts and be closer to the headquarters of its U.S. clients. Suryakant, President of TCS North America said, "The Cincinnati region is a great place for U.S. to recruit local talent to meet the demands of our customers as they grow out of the downturn."
The ohio facility is also aimed at securing what some major Indian service providrs are chasing - defence and avionics work. TCS is reportedly in talks with Boeing and Lockheed Martin for defence and aerospace contracts. This work can only be done by American citizens or green card holders.
Recently, the company bagged projects related to unemployment insurance for the states of Nebraska, New Mexico and Mississippi. "The U.S. by far our largest market and the seven hills park facility in Ohio plays an integral role in our strategy of putting our customers first," said Suryakant.
Currently, TCS employs 15,000 people in the U.S. The company has been shipping quite a bit of work to U.S, ignoring India's popular IT hubs.
Infosys, new openings
Infy to up sales staff by 50% before year-end
Infosys, the country’s second-largest information technology services exporter, plans to increase its sales and client services headcount by almost 50 per cent by the end of this financial year, most of which will happen in Europe.
“We are going to add another 100-200 people worldwide in sales and client services by the end of this fiscal on a base of 500. This doubling is in line with our interest in Europe,” said Subhash Dhar, senior vice-president, Infosys Technologies. The headcount increase could happen for sales people in infrastructure and applications services.
Moreover, the company sees its communication, media and entertainment segment to be a cash flow driver. It currently gets around 18 per cent of its overall revenues from this area, up from single-digit in 2002-03. Infosys is bullish about this segment, as many of its customers are restarting their capital expenditure on networks, which usually accounts for half of a company’s total expenditure.
“The spend had slowed down in the last one year. But handheld devices are now driving more traffic. In the media and entertainment space, we are seeing greater activity in digital media and not conventional media,” added Dhar.
He expects budgets to be better next year, too, compared with this year. “We are servicing almost 25 clients in this space and are always in talks with 10-15 more. Usually, we sign one big client per quarter and two or three small clients,” he said.
The non-US revenue is greater than the US revenue for Infosys’ communication, media and entertainment vertical. And, though India does not figure in the top countries’ list, the IT major is seeing new business coming from within India.
“We are going to add another 100-200 people worldwide in sales and client services by the end of this fiscal on a base of 500. This doubling is in line with our interest in Europe,” said Subhash Dhar, senior vice-president, Infosys Technologies. The headcount increase could happen for sales people in infrastructure and applications services.
Moreover, the company sees its communication, media and entertainment segment to be a cash flow driver. It currently gets around 18 per cent of its overall revenues from this area, up from single-digit in 2002-03. Infosys is bullish about this segment, as many of its customers are restarting their capital expenditure on networks, which usually accounts for half of a company’s total expenditure.
“The spend had slowed down in the last one year. But handheld devices are now driving more traffic. In the media and entertainment space, we are seeing greater activity in digital media and not conventional media,” added Dhar.
He expects budgets to be better next year, too, compared with this year. “We are servicing almost 25 clients in this space and are always in talks with 10-15 more. Usually, we sign one big client per quarter and two or three small clients,” he said.
The non-US revenue is greater than the US revenue for Infosys’ communication, media and entertainment vertical. And, though India does not figure in the top countries’ list, the IT major is seeing new business coming from within India.
IT market, new openings, Wipro
Wipro to recruit experienced hands
Related: Wipro to hire sacked employees
With an increase in business, India’s third-largest IT services company Wipro is holding recruitment drives to hire experienced IT professionals (termed lateral hiring) across the country. The company said in a statement today that it plans to organise two-day walk-in interviews for experienced IT professionals in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Noida and Kolkata, starting November 14.
The drive is a part of its regular hiring in line with business demands, the company said. Vice-President (Talent Acquisition) Pradeep Bahirwani said the company would hold recruitments simultaneously across the country to provide applicants a quick process to allow them to consider opportunities in other cities.
“We are looking to meet applicants across skill requirements in all business divisions with experience levels ranging from 2-14 years,” he said.
He added the company had released recruitment advertisements to inform applicants of the drive.
“We encourage applicants to apply directly to us and not fall prey to fraudsters misusing company names and duping candidates,” he added.
Wipro has also announced plans to hire BSc, BCM and BCA students graduating in 2010 for its Wipro Academy of Software Excellence.
With an increase in business, India’s third-largest IT services company Wipro is holding recruitment drives to hire experienced IT professionals (termed lateral hiring) across the country. The company said in a statement today that it plans to organise two-day walk-in interviews for experienced IT professionals in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Noida and Kolkata, starting November 14.
The drive is a part of its regular hiring in line with business demands, the company said. Vice-President (Talent Acquisition) Pradeep Bahirwani said the company would hold recruitments simultaneously across the country to provide applicants a quick process to allow them to consider opportunities in other cities.
“We are looking to meet applicants across skill requirements in all business divisions with experience levels ranging from 2-14 years,” he said.
He added the company had released recruitment advertisements to inform applicants of the drive.
“We encourage applicants to apply directly to us and not fall prey to fraudsters misusing company names and duping candidates,” he added.
Wipro has also announced plans to hire BSc, BCM and BCA students graduating in 2010 for its Wipro Academy of Software Excellence.
IT market, new openings
Deloitte to hire 15,000 people in India
Global business consultancy Deloitte is planning to hire 15,000 people in the country over the next two to three years, the company's top official said here Tuesday.
"We are very upbeat about the Indian economy and have major expansion plans in India," said Deloitte's global chief executive Jim Quigley.
"At present, we are employing about 11,000 people in India. To increase our business, we are planning increase it by 15,000 people over the next two to three years," Quigley told reporters.
"The (global economic) crisis is also an opportunity to expand and acquire assets at attractive valuations. We believe that India and China will be leading the global economic recovery. Europe will very slow to recover. So it makes sense to invest here," he added.
"Even during the time of economic slowdown we saw a (business) growth of 30 percent in India. We are going for active acquisition and expansion plans here."
"We are very upbeat about the Indian economy and have major expansion plans in India," said Deloitte's global chief executive Jim Quigley.
"At present, we are employing about 11,000 people in India. To increase our business, we are planning increase it by 15,000 people over the next two to three years," Quigley told reporters.
"The (global economic) crisis is also an opportunity to expand and acquire assets at attractive valuations. We believe that India and China will be leading the global economic recovery. Europe will very slow to recover. So it makes sense to invest here," he added.
"Even during the time of economic slowdown we saw a (business) growth of 30 percent in India. We are going for active acquisition and expansion plans here."
IT market, new openings
Yahoo to expand India headcount
Yahoo Inc wants to triple its operating margin to 15-20 percent over the next three years by increasing revenue and keeping costs under control, CEO Carol Bartz said.
She also said that Yahoo, the top US seller of online display ads, planned to expand its business in India and hire more people there as it targets emerging markets with low Internet penetration and high growth potential.
"Six percent operating margin is terrible, terrible... We have a commitment that it will be 15-20 per cent in the next three years," she said at a lunch talk organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.
Bartz, who joined Yahoo as CEO in January this year, has been trying to revitalise the Internet giant by shedding staff, dropping unprofitable products and getting the firm to respond faster to changes in the way people use the web.
"We go where the population is, we go where the economies are growing," she said, highlighting India, Indonesia and Vietnam as countries where Yahoo hoped to grow its presence.
She would be heading from Singapore to India, she said, where she is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials. Yahoo plans to hire more people and find new partners in the world's second-most populous nation for its various Internet initiatives.
Turning to China, Bartz said Yahoo was "very happy" with its 40 per cent investment in China's Alibaba Group although it recently sold shares in Alibaba.com, the Chinese firm's listed unit.
Yahoo does not have a direct presence in China as it has an agreement to let Alibaba use the Yahoo brand name in the country.
Microsoft and Yahoo earlier this year signed a 10-year global web search partnership to challenge market leader Google Inc, a pact that US and European antitrust regulators are evaluating.
Bartz said the two partners will formally seek regulatory approval for their tie-up in the first quarter of next year as scheduled.
She also said that Yahoo, the top US seller of online display ads, planned to expand its business in India and hire more people there as it targets emerging markets with low Internet penetration and high growth potential.
"Six percent operating margin is terrible, terrible... We have a commitment that it will be 15-20 per cent in the next three years," she said at a lunch talk organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.
Bartz, who joined Yahoo as CEO in January this year, has been trying to revitalise the Internet giant by shedding staff, dropping unprofitable products and getting the firm to respond faster to changes in the way people use the web.
"We go where the population is, we go where the economies are growing," she said, highlighting India, Indonesia and Vietnam as countries where Yahoo hoped to grow its presence.
She would be heading from Singapore to India, she said, where she is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials. Yahoo plans to hire more people and find new partners in the world's second-most populous nation for its various Internet initiatives.
Turning to China, Bartz said Yahoo was "very happy" with its 40 per cent investment in China's Alibaba Group although it recently sold shares in Alibaba.com, the Chinese firm's listed unit.
Yahoo does not have a direct presence in China as it has an agreement to let Alibaba use the Yahoo brand name in the country.
Microsoft and Yahoo earlier this year signed a 10-year global web search partnership to challenge market leader Google Inc, a pact that US and European antitrust regulators are evaluating.
Bartz said the two partners will formally seek regulatory approval for their tie-up in the first quarter of next year as scheduled.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
IT market, new openings
StanChart to hire 3,000 employees by next year
Global banking behemoth Standard Chartered plans to hire 3,000 employees in India by the end of 2010, a year that would also see the British firm listing its shares on the bourses here.
The bank intends to add close to 2,500 employees to its payroll in India during 2010, while it is hiring a staff of 500 in the last two months of 2009, StanChart's Regional Head for Human Resources Madhavi Lall told PTI here.
StanChart, which currently employs close to 18,000 people in the country, has already hired 2,000 employees so far this year, she added.
The bank is currently working on the modalities for listing its Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs) here -- which would make it the first foreign entity to exercise the IDR route to raise capital in India.
The bank intends to add close to 2,500 employees to its payroll in India during 2010, while it is hiring a staff of 500 in the last two months of 2009, StanChart's Regional Head for Human Resources Madhavi Lall told PTI here.
StanChart, which currently employs close to 18,000 people in the country, has already hired 2,000 employees so far this year, she added.
The bank is currently working on the modalities for listing its Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs) here -- which would make it the first foreign entity to exercise the IDR route to raise capital in India.
IT market, new openings
Barclays to increase workforce by 10% in Asia
UK-based Barclays today said it would increase workforce in merchant banking segment across Asia by 10 per cent during 2010.
"We've seen very strong performance across Asia for all our business classes. We would expect our workforce to increase across Asia by 10 per cent," Barclays chairman and CEO Asia Pacific Robert A Morrice told reporters on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit here.
On India strategy, Barclays said that it would continue to grow the business in the same way as it has been growing in the last five years.
Meanwhile, Bank of America Merrill Lynch county head (India) Kevan V Watts said that India is a structural story and it makes sense to invest money in the equity market. “Sectors that look attractive include infrastructure and stock, which have good exposure to rural markets,” he said.
However, dollar is expected to remain week in the coming months.
"We've seen very strong performance across Asia for all our business classes. We would expect our workforce to increase across Asia by 10 per cent," Barclays chairman and CEO Asia Pacific Robert A Morrice told reporters on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit here.
On India strategy, Barclays said that it would continue to grow the business in the same way as it has been growing in the last five years.
Meanwhile, Bank of America Merrill Lynch county head (India) Kevan V Watts said that India is a structural story and it makes sense to invest money in the equity market. “Sectors that look attractive include infrastructure and stock, which have good exposure to rural markets,” he said.
However, dollar is expected to remain week in the coming months.
IT market, new openings
Tech firms to go headhunting
Technology firms Accenture and Infosys BPO were on Monday upbeat about hiring plans for next year, an indicator of brightening business prospects, although Microsoft India said it would go easy on new recruitments.
Information technology and consultancy were among the sectors hit by last year's global economic crisis, ripples of which are still being felt by businesses across continents.
Consultant Accenture said it would shore up its staff strength by 8,000 by next year, mainly in the analytics space. "We are 42,000 right now and we imagine we will be about 50,000 by the end of 2010," Accenture Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William D Green said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit here.
Green added, "We believe that analytics is going to be an important trend that our customers are going to demand from us. We think India is going to be a great place for us."
Infosys BPO, the back-office unit of IT firm Infosys Technologies, said that it would hire 1,500-2,000 people by the end of the current fiscal. "We plan to hire 2,000 people in the next four-five months or by the end of this fiscal. Currently we are 16,000 people in India," Infosys BPO CEO Amitabh Chaudhry said.
Another BPO company Genpact has already hired 6,000-7,000 so far this year for its global operations. Microsoft India Chairman and Corporate Vice-President Ravi Venkatesan, however, said that "there will be no significant hiring. Microsoft has a headcount of 5,300 people in the country and had hired "a few hundreds" last year.
Most of the top domestic and transnational companies go for campus placements from the engineering and management schools around October-December.
Venkatesan said "(Steve) Ballmer (global CEO) has gone on record saying this is a period of consolidation," rather than adding to the headcount. The USD 58-billion global software leader has six business units in India, which include research centre, development centres and sales and marketing divisions.
The company, which boasts of running most of the personal computers worldwide on its operating system, has three centres in Hyderabad. The other units are in Bangaluru and Gurgaon.
Yesterday, global banking behemoth Standard Chartered said it plans to hire 3,000 employees in India by the end of 2010.
Information technology and consultancy were among the sectors hit by last year's global economic crisis, ripples of which are still being felt by businesses across continents.
Consultant Accenture said it would shore up its staff strength by 8,000 by next year, mainly in the analytics space. "We are 42,000 right now and we imagine we will be about 50,000 by the end of 2010," Accenture Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William D Green said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit here.
Green added, "We believe that analytics is going to be an important trend that our customers are going to demand from us. We think India is going to be a great place for us."
Infosys BPO, the back-office unit of IT firm Infosys Technologies, said that it would hire 1,500-2,000 people by the end of the current fiscal. "We plan to hire 2,000 people in the next four-five months or by the end of this fiscal. Currently we are 16,000 people in India," Infosys BPO CEO Amitabh Chaudhry said.
Another BPO company Genpact has already hired 6,000-7,000 so far this year for its global operations. Microsoft India Chairman and Corporate Vice-President Ravi Venkatesan, however, said that "there will be no significant hiring. Microsoft has a headcount of 5,300 people in the country and had hired "a few hundreds" last year.
Most of the top domestic and transnational companies go for campus placements from the engineering and management schools around October-December.
Venkatesan said "(Steve) Ballmer (global CEO) has gone on record saying this is a period of consolidation," rather than adding to the headcount. The USD 58-billion global software leader has six business units in India, which include research centre, development centres and sales and marketing divisions.
The company, which boasts of running most of the personal computers worldwide on its operating system, has three centres in Hyderabad. The other units are in Bangaluru and Gurgaon.
Yesterday, global banking behemoth Standard Chartered said it plans to hire 3,000 employees in India by the end of 2010.
IT market, new openings
Infosys opens its second development centre in Mexico
Infosys Technologies has opened its second development centre in Monterrey, Mexico, serving as a near shore unit to serve the regions of North America, Latin American and Europe.
The development centre will provide technology services for clients in all industries including banking, financial services, manufacturing, retail, distribution, insurance and many others, Infosys said in a notice to the stock exchanges.
“From our first development centre opening with a few clients and a dozen employees, we now have some 30 clients and 330 professionals,” said Ashok Vemuri, senior vice president, Infosys. After examining several countries in the region, Infosys chose to establish its presence in Mexico due to the broad language skills available in the region, its geographical proximity to Canada, the US and the Europe, the notice said.
The development centre will provide technology services for clients in all industries including banking, financial services, manufacturing, retail, distribution, insurance and many others, Infosys said in a notice to the stock exchanges.
“From our first development centre opening with a few clients and a dozen employees, we now have some 30 clients and 330 professionals,” said Ashok Vemuri, senior vice president, Infosys. After examining several countries in the region, Infosys chose to establish its presence in Mexico due to the broad language skills available in the region, its geographical proximity to Canada, the US and the Europe, the notice said.
Accenture, new openings
Accenture to hire 8,000 in India
Global technology and consultancy giant Accenture on Monday said it is going to add around 8,000 people in India by the end of next year taking its total employee base in the country to 50,000.
"We are 42,000 right now and we imagine we will be about 50,000 by the end of 2010," Accenture Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William D Green said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit.
Indicating a recovery from the global downturn, Green said the company will continue to focus in India, especially in the areas of analytics.
Accenture's focus in India is going to be the analytics space, which will help the clients convert information into insights for better yields.
Green added, "We believe that analytics is going to be an important trend that our customers are going to demand from us. We think India is going to be a great place for us. We have some core centres of excellence in the analytics space in the country."
Accenture, which has annual revenue of $21.58 billion for fiscal 2009, will strengthen its focus on clients in pharmaceutical, telecommunications and energy in the country.
"We are 42,000 right now and we imagine we will be about 50,000 by the end of 2010," Accenture Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William D Green said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit.
Indicating a recovery from the global downturn, Green said the company will continue to focus in India, especially in the areas of analytics.
Accenture's focus in India is going to be the analytics space, which will help the clients convert information into insights for better yields.
Green added, "We believe that analytics is going to be an important trend that our customers are going to demand from us. We think India is going to be a great place for us. We have some core centres of excellence in the analytics space in the country."
Accenture, which has annual revenue of $21.58 billion for fiscal 2009, will strengthen its focus on clients in pharmaceutical, telecommunications and energy in the country.
BPO, Infosys, new openings
Infosys BPO to hire 2000 by FY10
Infosys BPO, the back-office unit of IT firm Infosys Technologies, today said it would hire 1,500-2,000 people by the end of the current fiscal.
"We plan to hire 2000 people in the next four-five months or by the end of this fiscal. Currently, we are 16,000 people in India," Infosys BPO CEO Amitabh Chaudhry told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
The 300-million Infosys subsidiary recently signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to set up rural BPO centres in 22 districts of the state.
Infosys BPO gets significant part of its business from North America and Europe.
To bag more clients, it is said to be looking at aligning with Finacle, the banking solution business of its parent. Infosys BPO is also reportedly planning to set up a new delivery centre in the United States before the end of this financial year.
The back-office services wing of Infosys has eight delivery centres across the globe, including in Mexico, but it did not have a centre in the US so far.
Infosys BPO registered revenues of $71.3 million with a net profit of $16.3 million for the September quarter.
"We plan to hire 2000 people in the next four-five months or by the end of this fiscal. Currently, we are 16,000 people in India," Infosys BPO CEO Amitabh Chaudhry told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
The 300-million Infosys subsidiary recently signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to set up rural BPO centres in 22 districts of the state.
Infosys BPO gets significant part of its business from North America and Europe.
To bag more clients, it is said to be looking at aligning with Finacle, the banking solution business of its parent. Infosys BPO is also reportedly planning to set up a new delivery centre in the United States before the end of this financial year.
The back-office services wing of Infosys has eight delivery centres across the globe, including in Mexico, but it did not have a centre in the US so far.
Infosys BPO registered revenues of $71.3 million with a net profit of $16.3 million for the September quarter.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
IT market, new openings
India needs 5 Lakh project managers: PMI
According to a research by Project Management Institute (PMI), India will need about five lakh project managers in the future to complete 591 projects being carried out in the country.
About 591 projects each worth more than Rs. 100 crore were being executed in the country and it required a great number of project managers in order to finish them on time, said Raj Kalady, Managing Director (MD), PMI.
"The initial estimates of Rs. 5.25 lakh crore for the total projects have aroused to Rs. 5.85 lakh crore due to lack of proper project management," said Kaladi.
PMI will organize an all India conference starting from November 13, former MD of Maruti Udyog will be the key note speaker in the conference and NASSCOMM President Som Mittal and ISRO Chairman Dr. K Radha Krishnan are among others to attend the conference.
Kalady stated that PMI has developed 12 applications of project management on the lines of world's best practices. The institute was also negotiating with some of educational institutions to offer scholarships to students pursuing project management course.
About 591 projects each worth more than Rs. 100 crore were being executed in the country and it required a great number of project managers in order to finish them on time, said Raj Kalady, Managing Director (MD), PMI.
"The initial estimates of Rs. 5.25 lakh crore for the total projects have aroused to Rs. 5.85 lakh crore due to lack of proper project management," said Kaladi.
PMI will organize an all India conference starting from November 13, former MD of Maruti Udyog will be the key note speaker in the conference and NASSCOMM President Som Mittal and ISRO Chairman Dr. K Radha Krishnan are among others to attend the conference.
Kalady stated that PMI has developed 12 applications of project management on the lines of world's best practices. The institute was also negotiating with some of educational institutions to offer scholarships to students pursuing project management course.
IT market, new openings
Thomson to expand Bangalore operations
Global information services provider Thomson Reuters will be looking at expanding the operations at its captive technology centre in Bangalore as it considers this unit strategic for its world-wide IT requirements.
Without getting into specifics of the expansion plan, James Powell, CTO, Thomson Reuters said, “We will grow over time and we see this (Bangalore) as strategic centre....There is going to be a positive momentum.”
Thomson Reuters has around 7,000 people in India of which around 2,000 are engaged in the technology operations. Mr Powell said that Bangalore is a strategic centre for them on par with its other large development centres in London and New York.
The Bangalore centre is engaged in wide variety of IT activity for Thomson Reuters, which include product management, quality assurance, content technologies among others. At the same time, Thomson Reuters has certain third party engagements with IT services vendors like Infosys Technologies.
However, the company does not see any change in the relationship with these vendors with their own expansion plans, as it is keen to do core IT work by themselves.
Mr Powell said, “I’m a big fan of using our own staff and we believe that we can offer some great opportunities for technologists here.”
Thomson Reuters which is still on the course of its merger process is expecting that the single unified unit will give them better visibility of attracting the right kind of talent. The CTO said, “We are confident of allocating work to any of the three global development centres and not necessarily looking at Bangalore as an offhsore destination.”
Thomson Reuters which provides information to both businesses and professionals to a wide variety of sectors is looking at addressing new segments in India.
Without getting into specifics of the expansion plan, James Powell, CTO, Thomson Reuters said, “We will grow over time and we see this (Bangalore) as strategic centre....There is going to be a positive momentum.”
Thomson Reuters has around 7,000 people in India of which around 2,000 are engaged in the technology operations. Mr Powell said that Bangalore is a strategic centre for them on par with its other large development centres in London and New York.
The Bangalore centre is engaged in wide variety of IT activity for Thomson Reuters, which include product management, quality assurance, content technologies among others. At the same time, Thomson Reuters has certain third party engagements with IT services vendors like Infosys Technologies.
However, the company does not see any change in the relationship with these vendors with their own expansion plans, as it is keen to do core IT work by themselves.
Mr Powell said, “I’m a big fan of using our own staff and we believe that we can offer some great opportunities for technologists here.”
Thomson Reuters which is still on the course of its merger process is expecting that the single unified unit will give them better visibility of attracting the right kind of talent. The CTO said, “We are confident of allocating work to any of the three global development centres and not necessarily looking at Bangalore as an offhsore destination.”
Thomson Reuters which provides information to both businesses and professionals to a wide variety of sectors is looking at addressing new segments in India.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
IT market, new openings
IT's not all that hot for fresh recruits
Entry-level salaries down by 20% for software pros
Dhannanjay Kumar, a 25-year-old computer science graduate from a top engineering college in Bangalore, considers himself lucky to have found job in a year when India’s over $50-billion software outsourcing industry had to cope with falling demand and trim payroll by up to 10%.
“Not only I had to work twice as much for getting an interview, the annual salary of around Rs 1.7 lakh is much lower compared to my seniors who got Rs 3.5 lakh two years ago,” said Kumar who got hired by a Bangalore-based mid-tier software company last month.
Every year, around 3,00,000 computer science and engineering graduates seek employment with hundreds of tech firms, including big names such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro. This year, more than half of them were left unemployed because tech firms were already finding it tough to manage resources sitting on the bench.
A worsening economic crisis, increased availability of skilled workers and lower demand for software services have brought down the entry-level salaries for IT professionals in the country by up to 20%, according to experts tracking the sector.
“The entry-level salaries are down by at least 10-16%,” said GC Jayaprakash, principal consultant of Stanton Chase International.
Until two years ago, almost all computer and engineering graduates were absorbed by India’s outsourcing industry, comprising top tech firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro and many others. However, as customers delayed and shelved outsourcing projects, these tech firms also postponed campus hirings.
“Last year, a number of companies gave away offer letters but did not recruit. On top of that, there is a new pool of qualified professionals being churned out this year -- all this has created an oversupply in the entry-level IT job market where salaries typically sway between Rs 3 lakh per annum and Rs 5 lakh on the higher side,” Mr Jayaprakash added.
Many students had to approach potential employers directly, since companies did not visit their campuses for placements.
“We formed groups and toured companies, and agreed to settle at lower salaries because it’s better to be employed at lower salary than having no job at all,” said Srilekha Varma, who recently accepted a job offer from a Chennai-based IT firm specialising in banking software.
Recruitment firms such as GlobalHunt said the entry-level salaries may have dipped by up to 30% because of increased availability of skilled professionals.
“Earlier, companies were building bench strength and doing skill development, as they were expecting large business and didn’t want to run out of manpower. Fresh graduates used to have multiple offers and they were in a position to negotiate,” said Sunil Goel, director of GlobulHunt’s Indian operations.
In a normal year, computer science graduates were offered entry-level salaries of Rs 3.5-5 lakh. However, companies are now hiring freshers at Rs 1.7 to Rs 3.5 lakh.
Meanwhile, HR heads at tech firms, including Wipro, India’s third-largest software exporter, say professionals have become more realistic about what they want from their employers.
“I don’t think salaries have come down, but the environment has indeed helped us in containing salary hikes,” Pratik Kumar, head of human resources at Wipro said.
What has also changed this year is the manner in which salary offers are being structured.
“Due to an oversupply of qualified talent there is rationalisation at entry-level salary, which is based more on performance and are variable by nature. Cost-to-company is not necessarily a comparison of the past-drawn salary,” said Ashok Reddy, managing director and co-founder of staffing company TeamLease.
Indeed, professionals who lost their jobs during the past few months, are now being offered entry-level salaries by companies who can get experienced talent at lower salary levels.
“I was working as a software testing engineer and lost my job in February. Now I have a job, but the salary is similar to what is being offered to new recruits,” said Neelesh, who has around six-month experience.
“Companies are now preferring to hire professionals who missed jobs due to slowdown, were on the bench or were laid off, because they have some kind of training and are experience compared to freshers,” said Mr Goel.
TCS said it would do new campus hiring in January 2010 and will honour all 24,000 offers made for FY09. “Around 1,800 graduates have joined us in Q2 and another 8,000 will join in Q3, rest of the graduates will join based on the demand,” a TCS spokeswoman said.
Infosys said for FY10, it has made 20,000 campus offers and expects an 80% conversion rate i.e. 16,000 of these offers to join the company. “We are honouring all our hiring commitments,” an Infosys spokeswoman said.
“Not only I had to work twice as much for getting an interview, the annual salary of around Rs 1.7 lakh is much lower compared to my seniors who got Rs 3.5 lakh two years ago,” said Kumar who got hired by a Bangalore-based mid-tier software company last month.
Every year, around 3,00,000 computer science and engineering graduates seek employment with hundreds of tech firms, including big names such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro. This year, more than half of them were left unemployed because tech firms were already finding it tough to manage resources sitting on the bench.
A worsening economic crisis, increased availability of skilled workers and lower demand for software services have brought down the entry-level salaries for IT professionals in the country by up to 20%, according to experts tracking the sector.
“The entry-level salaries are down by at least 10-16%,” said GC Jayaprakash, principal consultant of Stanton Chase International.
Until two years ago, almost all computer and engineering graduates were absorbed by India’s outsourcing industry, comprising top tech firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro and many others. However, as customers delayed and shelved outsourcing projects, these tech firms also postponed campus hirings.
“Last year, a number of companies gave away offer letters but did not recruit. On top of that, there is a new pool of qualified professionals being churned out this year -- all this has created an oversupply in the entry-level IT job market where salaries typically sway between Rs 3 lakh per annum and Rs 5 lakh on the higher side,” Mr Jayaprakash added.
Many students had to approach potential employers directly, since companies did not visit their campuses for placements.
“We formed groups and toured companies, and agreed to settle at lower salaries because it’s better to be employed at lower salary than having no job at all,” said Srilekha Varma, who recently accepted a job offer from a Chennai-based IT firm specialising in banking software.
Recruitment firms such as GlobalHunt said the entry-level salaries may have dipped by up to 30% because of increased availability of skilled professionals.
“Earlier, companies were building bench strength and doing skill development, as they were expecting large business and didn’t want to run out of manpower. Fresh graduates used to have multiple offers and they were in a position to negotiate,” said Sunil Goel, director of GlobulHunt’s Indian operations.
In a normal year, computer science graduates were offered entry-level salaries of Rs 3.5-5 lakh. However, companies are now hiring freshers at Rs 1.7 to Rs 3.5 lakh.
Meanwhile, HR heads at tech firms, including Wipro, India’s third-largest software exporter, say professionals have become more realistic about what they want from their employers.
“I don’t think salaries have come down, but the environment has indeed helped us in containing salary hikes,” Pratik Kumar, head of human resources at Wipro said.
What has also changed this year is the manner in which salary offers are being structured.
“Due to an oversupply of qualified talent there is rationalisation at entry-level salary, which is based more on performance and are variable by nature. Cost-to-company is not necessarily a comparison of the past-drawn salary,” said Ashok Reddy, managing director and co-founder of staffing company TeamLease.
Indeed, professionals who lost their jobs during the past few months, are now being offered entry-level salaries by companies who can get experienced talent at lower salary levels.
“I was working as a software testing engineer and lost my job in February. Now I have a job, but the salary is similar to what is being offered to new recruits,” said Neelesh, who has around six-month experience.
“Companies are now preferring to hire professionals who missed jobs due to slowdown, were on the bench or were laid off, because they have some kind of training and are experience compared to freshers,” said Mr Goel.
TCS said it would do new campus hiring in January 2010 and will honour all 24,000 offers made for FY09. “Around 1,800 graduates have joined us in Q2 and another 8,000 will join in Q3, rest of the graduates will join based on the demand,” a TCS spokeswoman said.
Infosys said for FY10, it has made 20,000 campus offers and expects an 80% conversion rate i.e. 16,000 of these offers to join the company. “We are honouring all our hiring commitments,” an Infosys spokeswoman said.
new openings
Apple hires 2,300 full-time employees in a year
Technology major Apple has raised its full-time employee count by 2,300 to 34,300 for the year ended September 2009, at a time when many companies worldwide slashed their workforce in the wake of the financial crisis.
For the September 2009 financial year, the company had nearly 34,300 full-time equivalent employees and 2,500 temporary equivalent workers and contractors, according to its annual report.
The firm had about 32,000 full-time people and 3,100 temporary employees and contractors, for the year ended September 2008.
The total head count at Apple -- including full-time and temporary people and contractors -- shot up to 36,800 for the fiscal year ended September 26, 2009. In the comparable period, the same stood at 35,100.
Interestingly, the year ended September was also the time when companies worldwide slashed thousands of jobs as part of their efforts to bring down costs. The entities which resorted to layoffs include Dell, Microsoft, General Motors and Caterpillar.
Moreover, the unemployment rate in the US touched a 26-year-high of 9.8 per cent in September.
Despite the adverse economic situation, Apple's net sales surged over 12 per cent to $36.5 billion for the year ended September 2009, mainly boosted by increased sales of iPhone and Mac computers. During the same period, profits rose to $5.7 billion.
For the September 2009 financial year, the company had nearly 34,300 full-time equivalent employees and 2,500 temporary equivalent workers and contractors, according to its annual report.
The firm had about 32,000 full-time people and 3,100 temporary employees and contractors, for the year ended September 2008.
The total head count at Apple -- including full-time and temporary people and contractors -- shot up to 36,800 for the fiscal year ended September 26, 2009. In the comparable period, the same stood at 35,100.
Interestingly, the year ended September was also the time when companies worldwide slashed thousands of jobs as part of their efforts to bring down costs. The entities which resorted to layoffs include Dell, Microsoft, General Motors and Caterpillar.
Moreover, the unemployment rate in the US touched a 26-year-high of 9.8 per cent in September.
Despite the adverse economic situation, Apple's net sales surged over 12 per cent to $36.5 billion for the year ended September 2009, mainly boosted by increased sales of iPhone and Mac computers. During the same period, profits rose to $5.7 billion.
IT market, new openings
Capgemini to expand India headcount
Outsourcing firm Capgemini is all set to increase its India headcount with the opening of a new business information centre in Bangalore, according to a report in a business daily.
The Bangalore centre will take the company's India headcount beyond 21,000, an increase from its employee strength of 20,000 in home country France.
According to the company, the new centre in Bangalore would start with a workforce of 1,000, which would scale up to 3,000 in about 18 months.
Paul Nannetti, general manager of Capgemini's global business information service line, said, "Bangalore provides plenty of application and technical skills in information management." He added, "The company can scale-up there much more quickly than in onshore locations."
India is among the most attractive outsourcing destination for global MNCs including IBM, Accenture and Microsoft, giving tough competition to domestic players TCS, Wipro and Infosys. The country offers large pool of skilled and low-cost talent for business information management services that help companies improve their collection, use and analysis of data.
The Bangalore centre will take the company's India headcount beyond 21,000, an increase from its employee strength of 20,000 in home country France.
According to the company, the new centre in Bangalore would start with a workforce of 1,000, which would scale up to 3,000 in about 18 months.
Paul Nannetti, general manager of Capgemini's global business information service line, said, "Bangalore provides plenty of application and technical skills in information management." He added, "The company can scale-up there much more quickly than in onshore locations."
India is among the most attractive outsourcing destination for global MNCs including IBM, Accenture and Microsoft, giving tough competition to domestic players TCS, Wipro and Infosys. The country offers large pool of skilled and low-cost talent for business information management services that help companies improve their collection, use and analysis of data.
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