iGate Gets 5-Year $100M Outsourcing Order from US MetLife

Outsourcing services company iGate Corp. (IGTE) Tuesday said it has received a five-year contract worth more than $100 million to offer information technology infrastructure solutions to U.S. life insurer MetLife Inc. (MET).

As part of the deal, iGate said in a statement, it will manage the IT systems of the U.S. company and provide applications support and enterprise network services. iGate is U.S.-based and listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, employing 28,000 people, mainly in India.

Some parts of the contract were previously managed by a major U.S. IT services company and one of the top Indian outsourcing companies, Sanjay Tugnait, executive vice president and head of sales for North America at iGate, told the Wall Street Journal.

iGate, which already has a 10-year outsourcing partnership with MetLife, said the deal will be based on a business model where the company charges the client using an outcome-based pricing approach.

It's Official; Tech Mahindra Completes Merger of Satyam

Once a darling of the Indian IT sector and the stock market, the scam-hit erstwhile Satyam has formally ceased to exist as an individual entity by formally merging with Tech Mahindra.

Its journey saw a fraud bringing down the company's valuation by over 95 per cent within weeks, while a subsequent revival brought in an over 10-fold surge from the dumps.

Still, it is the remains of this once scam-hit company on which its saviour Tech Mahindra will bank upon significantly to move up the ladders of the Indian IT sector charts, say industry experts.

IT industry will grow 13-14%: Som Mittal

Software industry body Nasscom expects the country's information technology (IT) services sector to grow 13-14 per cent in the current financial year and to touch $225 billion (Rs 13.22 lakh crore) by 2020. Speaking to reporters after addressing Nasscom's EmergeOut Conclave here, the industry body's president, Som Mittal, said the sector had been growing at a compound annual growth rate of 12-13 per cent till two years earlier, and reaching the $225 billion target was not impossible.

The first main driver will be new geographies. At present, the US, the UK and other European markets contribute to around 90 per cent of the total business, while other markets, including India, China and Latin America, contribute the rest.

"Only three per cent of the business we do in China and Japan, which shows there is plenty of opportunities in those markets," said Mittal. Many small companies have now started focussing only on these markets. "Our estimate is that around 20 per cent of the business would come from new geographies by 2020," said Mittal.

Infosys eyes IT, BPO arms of European companies

Infosys is looking to acquire technology and back-office services arms of European companies as they open up to the idea of outsourcing such work with an eye on cutting costs. The deals that Infosys is chasing could give it committed business worth $40- $250 million (Rs 240 crore-Rs 1,500 crore) over three to five years, the Europe head of India's second-largest software firm said. Such transactions typically involve upfront payment for buying the facilities of corporations as well as taking over their employees.

"There are quite a few opportunities we are participating in. For clients, it is about cost-optimisation but at the same time they don't want employees to be impacted," said InfosysBSE -0.01 % board member BG Srinivas, who also heads the financial services business division. "We are open to rebadging employees because we are continuing to invest in Europe."

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/euro-trail-infosys-eyes-it-bpo-arms-of-european-companies/articleshow/21076918.cms

Wipro BPO win Best Project with Organizational Impact Award

Wipro  Ltd., a leading Global Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company announced that the American Society for Quality (ASQ) has recognized Wipro BPO for a Six Sigma Project implemented for a customer. The project was recognized by ASQ and voted on by attendees of the 2013 World Conference on Quality and Improvement as Best Project with 'Organizational Impact' at the International Team Excellence Awards, Indianapolis, USA.

The awards recognize and commend the impact of quality on customer relationships. The finalists of the "International Team Excellence Awards" comprised of 32 teams from across the world and global organizations spanning industries including Automobiles, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services & Insurance, Telecom, Military, Energy, Housing and ITeS.

HCL Technologies may lay off over 100 employees in Finland

Noida-based HCL Technologies may lay off some employees in Finland. These employees are among those who were servicing phone maker Nokia from its on-shore centres.

The company had entered into a long-term agreement with the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer for a global IT infrastructure management outsourcing services in January.

“There could be some lay offs. We will take around six weeks to decide and comply with all the formalities under the European law,” a HCL Technology official told Business Line on request of anonymity.

An official statement from the company said “Any change to requirements in client projects is essentially a matter of discussion between HCL, its client(s) and unions where needed. We do not respond to speculation on such matters.”

According to sources, the lay off numbers may be little more than 100. The company did not give the total number of employees working across Finland.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was also part of the service agreement with Nokia. This was part of the phone maker’s plans to cut over 1,000 IT jobs, including 820 employees who were transferred to HCL and TCS. Earlier this month, TCS had said it may lay off around 290 employees working for Nokia.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/hcl-technologies-may-lay-off-over-100-employees-in-finland/article4860732.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

NAB culling IT jobs: Australia

NATIONAL Australia Bank has been urged to be more transparent with redundancy figures amongst technology workers with unions confirming more than 90 jobs have been affected.

The Australian yesterday reported that NAB staff sources and management were at odds with the number of technology roles impacted by a move to outsource IT testing to Infosys.

NAB said 26 people have been made redundant but some affected staff say it's about 95 workers.

The cuts have affected all parts of the group, including its wealth management arm MLC.

Finance Sector Union national assistant secretary Geoff Derrick said: "we have heard from our members that their work is being outsourced (to Infosys) and probably offshored".

Mr Derrick said more than 90 people are affected but "not all in one go", a view shared by affected employees who spoke to The Australian.

NAB workers have been conducting "knowledge transfer" sessions with Infosys and they would be let go once that was completed, he said.

Mr Derrick said the union was having difficulty getting a straight answer from NAB on whether local jobs would be sent overseas.

Telstra to outsource 170 jobs to Infosys

Telstra will outsource the roles of 170 full-time staff and 90 contractors from one of its fastest-growing business units to India, with Indian supplier ­Infosys understood to be picking up the work.

The redundancies from Telstra’s network applications and services division announced on Tuesday are the latest in a series of staff cuts at the telecommunications giant. In May, it indicated plans to overhaul its 15,000-strong internal operations divisions.

The NAS division, which generated $636 million in revenues in the half-year ending December 31, 2012, sells services such as cloud computing and video conferencing. It is Telstra’s fastest-growing segment with plans to increase the business in Asia.

Source: BRW

Rise in H-1B must for US economy: 100 IT CEOs

More than 100 top American CEOs from technology sector, including those from Facebook, Google and Microsoft, have appealed to the Senate to approve the comprehensive immigration bill, which they said will open a new path to the country's innovation and economic strength.

In a letter to all members of the Senate, the CEOs said they strongly believe the reforms in the bill, that impact high skilled immigration including key improvements in the availability of both green cards and H-1B visas, will help address the national talent shortage in the near-term.

In addition, it will also create a long-term pipeline of American workers through establishing a much-needed new fund for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, including computer science education, said the letter from more than 100 executives from the technology sector and leading innovation advocacy organisations.

The comprehensive immigration bill (S.744) will also protect and better prepare American workers, and enable employers and entrepreneurs of all sizes in every state to recruit and retain the world's best talent, the letter said.

"Senate approval of S.744 is essential for our economy to continue to foster innovation and invigorate many US business sectors through an educated and highly skilled workforce of domestic and foreign-born talent," it said.

Read More at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/outsourcing/Rise-in-H-1B-must-for-US-economy-100-IT-CEOs/articleshow/20712406.cms

Worried Indian IT companies hope for softer version of Immigration bill

The US Senate has approved a bill which could result in adverse consequences for India's information technology industry, but software companies are hoping that the final version will not be too harsh for them.

In a clear sign that the last word on the issue has not been said, there was good news for Indian IT from the lower chamber of Congress - the House of Representatives' judiciary committee approved an immigration bill focussed on high-skilled workers that is favourable to the software industry.

The bill was passed on Thursday with support from Republicans, hours after the Senate approved a bipartisan immigration reform bill with provisions to make temporary work visas harder and costlier to obtain.

A bill becomes law after it is passed by the House, the Senate and is signed by the president.

Zensar in acquisition talks with two US firms

Outsourcing services provider Zensar Technologies is in acquisition talks with at least two US-based companies to boost its offerings in its largest export market.

A deal could cost Zensar between $20 million and $50 million, its chief executive officer, Ganesh Natarajan, said in a phone interview from the company's headquarters in Pune.

The Indian company, being advised by boutique financial advisory firm The Chesapeake Group, is talking to firms specializing in either managing large, complex computer networks or providing business software management consultancy, he said.

A possible acquisition could add 150-200 local staff in the computer networks area, or about 60-70 consultants specializing in the use of business management software from SAP, Natarajan said.

"We've been at it in the last four months... if we get the right fit, we can certainly do it during this year," he said.

Australia's new visa restrictions to hurt Indian IT companies

Australia has followed the United States and Canada in tightening up its work visa programme, hurting Indian IT firms who now cannot place workers using the visas at client sites and must advertise in Australia to prove there is a genuine skill shortage.

Nomura expects the new rules to affect Indian IT companies' time and materials contracts and increase the amount of planning and time taken to obtain a visa. The companies will have to justify the number the number of visas required and provide workers on the visas with employment terms and conditions similar to those offered to Australian workers.

Infosys and Satyam, owned by Tech Mahindra, have the highest exposure to Australia, with about 8-9% of invoices coming from the continent, Nomura analyst Ashwin Mehta said in a note to clients.

Tata Consultancy Services has also been dragged into a visa row in Australia. A former employee was quoted by a local TV channel ABC as saying that TCS abused that country's work-visa scheme by not making an honest attempt to hire qualified local citizens, and instead bringing in Indian engineers on visa. TCS said those allegations were "completely false and inaccurate" and that it was fully compliant with the visa rules. 

Indians Are Workaholic, Checks Work Emails On Vacations Too

Indian professionals are workaholic and check work related emails on their vacations too, according to a latest survey conducted by travel portal, reports Times Of India. The survey carried out by TripAdvisor on what the professionals do when they are on a vacation trip has come up with quite a surprising results. Among the top three things in the must-do list were eating out at popular restaurants in the city (78 percent), visiting local tourist spots (75 percent), catching up with friends in that city (66 percent). And surprisingly, Indians preferred friends over relatives, to hangout out with, on their travel. The survey was conducted among 1500 actively employed professionals of whom over 75 percent travel often or occasionally for work.

Another find is that, Indian professionals are most addicted to work with a whopping 82 percent admitted to checking work e-mails while on vacation.

Best Job Search Websites In India

There are many websites in India that caters to the people in need for a job. They do more than just provide a database of job listings to search however. Many of them host your résumé and try to make it as visible as possible to employers looking for the perfect staff. Some even take advantage of social networking to get your foot in the door. So which one will you select? To help you out, here is the compilation of 7 best websites that differ from others on the very base of credibility.

Robert Hellmann, the author of Your Social Media Job Search, in an interview with Forbes, recommends that your job hunt consist of 80 percent personal networking, 10 percent talking to headhunters, and only that last 10 percent for online searches and applications.

Read on to know the list as compiled by PCMag.

#7 Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a free jobs and careers community that offers the world an inside look at jobs and companies. The site offers "employee-generated content" – anonymous salaries, company reviews, interview questions and more – all posted by employees, job seekers and sometimes the companies themselves. Now with nearly 3 million salaries and reviews, you have all the information you might need to make your next career decision.

With Glassdoor's proprietary JobScope technology, job seekers have a new way to browse job listings and get instant, in-depth details for any job listing. It also offers detailed information about specific jobs at specific companies – all free.

#6 Simply Hired
“Looking for a job shouldn't be a full-time job! That's why we built the biggest, smartest job search engine on the web. We search thousands of job sites and companies, so you don't have to,” the site states. Besides making things easy, Simply Hired also connects your social networks with job search. Its “Who Do I Know” feature allows you to discover your friends and personal connections at each company alongside your job search results.

Similar in look and feel to Indeed, Simply Hired pulls listings from thousands of sites across the Web, including job boards, company career sites, newspapers, non-profit organizations, government sites, and more. Creating an account allows you to name, save, and manage searches; manage email alerts; revisit jobs you've already viewed; rate and save notes about jobs you've viewed; and block specific companies or sites from showing up in your searches. Simply Hired's frequently updated blog offers excellent advice for job seekers.

#5 LinkedIn
This largest network of professionals in the world sure is a place to hunt for a job. As a LinkedIn member, you'll join 225 million other professionals who are sharing connections, ideas, and opportunities. So your profile is essentially your résumé, listing all your work experience and skills, and connecting you with contacts. Employers can list jobs on the site to recruit the best candidates, the listings are available for you to search, and of course, it's a great site for investigating potential employers. Some companies will let you apply with nothing more than your LinkedIn profile. If you see one of your LinkedIn connections is LinkedIn with someone at a company you're applying to, you can ask them to introduce you. LinkedIn's ability to connect you to others in your field (and beyond) makes it arguably the strongest job search weapon in your arsenal.

#4 Craigslist
The site hosts local classifieds and forums - community moderated, and largely free.Jobs, housing, goods, services, romance, local activities, advice - just about anything really. Though you can't sign up for email updates or post your résumé—but Craigslist certainly has plenty of jobs to offer and it specializes in finding openings in your vicinity. Listings aren't pulled in from other aggregator sites; they're all individually posted by employers. Jobs categories can be pretty broad though, so the downside is you may have to look harder to find that perfect position.

#3 Monster
It is the oldest of all job search engines in the world, and was launched almost 20 years ago. Internationally known and highly regarded, it lists hourly, part-time, and full-time jobs in practically every career field. But it's more than just a search site; Monster also provides tons of articles with advice for getting the most out of your job search, your résumé, interviews, and your career. The privacy feature that blocks specific companies from seeing your résumé is a lifesaver if you don't want your current employer to know you're looking for a new job. Monster is also the owner of the BeKnown service/app for Facebook, which puts your job search front and center on the world's biggest social network.

#2 CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is one of the India's fastest growing online job site. It has more than 23 million unique visitors a month. It reaches top job seekers across India, including: Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta, and Hyderabad. It is based on the motto “Employee-Driven. Customer-Focused.”

You can store up to five résumés and cover letters publicly or privately, and create up to five personal search agents to receive emailed job listings daily or weekly. If you're unsure about where to start, upload your résumé to CareerBuilder and the site will scan it and match jobs according to your experience. If you don't have a résumé, simply search for jobs within CareerBuilder and the site will recommend positions based on your experience.

#1 Indeed
Indeed is top job site in the world, with over 80 million unique visitors and 1.5 billion job searches per month. Indeed is available in more than 50 countries and 26 languages, covering 94 percent of global GDP. It is based on one motto “One Search. All Jobs.”

The site is totally free to join and has listings aggregated from thousands of company websites and job boards across all fields. If you're not sure where to start, Indeed has tips to help. You don't even have to keep revisiting the site; it will help you set up searches that arrive in your inbox, or you can paste a URL for search results into an RSS reader for a constant feed.

Why it's not business as usual at HCL Tech

HCL Technologies is running an internal campaign whose goal is to bring the mindsets of the company's top executives in line with the fundamental changes in the global technology outsourcing market.

Called Reset, the initiative is meant to drive home the message that it is not business as usual and that organizations such as HCL Technologies must acknowledge and be able to respond to clients who are no more looking for discrete technology components, but want technology to deliver concrete business value.
Read More at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/software-services/Why-its-not-business-as-usual-at-HCL-Tech/articleshow/20999537.cms 

Why Infosys is losing momentum in every vertical

Infosys's overall revenues dropped below that of Cognizant last year. But what must be worrying the IT company more is its loss of momentum in almost every vertical. And in both its flagship verticals - BFSI (banking , financial services & insurance ) and manufacturing - its rank has dropped.

In BFSI, Infosys's revenue in the March quarter of fiscal 2011 was $571.9 million and this grew modestly to $657 million in March 2013. But Cognizant's revenue grew from $570 million to $855 million in the same period , pushing Infosys to No. 3 in that space. In fact, Cognizant surpassed Infosys in this vertical in the June quarter of fiscal 2012.

Read more at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/software-services/Why-Infosys-is-losing-momentum-in-every-vertical/articleshow/20938410.cms

India, China to have most software developers by 2019

According to the recently released Evans Data Worldwide Developer Population and Demographics Study, the total developer population worldwide is expected to increase to 26.4 million by 2019, up from 18.2 million today.

The strongest growth is expected in the APAC region with India and China leading all countries in expected developer population growth.

Russia is also expected to provide strong growth and dominate the Eastern European region. Slower growth is predicted for North America and Eastern Europe, while Latin America is expected to continue on a moderate growth cycle.

"APAC has shown the strongest growth for several years," said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data. "India is, of course, the main powerhouse that's driving such a strong surge in developers in that region, but China is also starting to come online and we expect that once it hits its potential China will become a rival to India on sheer numbers of developers," added Garvin.

The Worldwide Developer Population and Demographics Study is the result of exhaustive secondary research from respected sources including the World Bank data center, CIA World Factbook, US Census, Mobile World Congress, International Monetary Fund, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and numerous other regional and country-specific sources.

These data inputs are combined in a proprietary computer model to forecast population growth in the coming years. Additionally, Evans' Global Development survey is over-layered on the population model to predict number of developers using a particular platform or language or adopting a particular technology.
Source: http://www.ciol.com/ciol/features/191456/india-china-software-developers-2019

Wipro BPO rated among top global F&A service providers

Software services major Wipro today said its BPO has been rated among the top global Finance and Accounting (F&A) service providers by analyst firm HfS Research.

Wipro BPO has been positioned among the top worldwide Finance and Accounting service providers by HfS Research in its "Blueprint Report on Finance and Accounting BPO", authored by analysts Phil Fersht and Brian Dubiel, the company said in a release.

The report credits Wipro for its long standing reputation for delivering BPO competency particularly in F&A, price competitiveness and solution flexibility along with experience in providing end-to-end support for F&A services.

It also mentions the company's strong passion and capabilities in developing technology platforms to support BPO prowess.

Wipro in a release said: "The report ratings are based on a broad range of stakeholders with specific weightings derived from 1,355 crowd-sourced responses that include buyers, service providers, industry influencers (sourcing advisors), sourcing executive council members and analysts.

Jobs fair and unemployment info sessions planned for laid-off IBM workers

The state is offering more unemployment information sessions and now a job fair for laid-off workers from IBM and other Vermont businesses. All events will be held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in South Burlington.

The Rapid Response unemployment information sessions are scheduled back-to-back for Thursday: two morning sessions from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to noon. Workshops will include resume writing, interviewing skills and information on financial restructuring after a layoff, according to a news release from the Vermont Department of Labor.

An Employer and Training Provider Job Fair is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday. A list of employers planning to attend was not available as of publication time; booths will include employers, training service providers, financial advisers and health care program representatives.

Read more at: http://vtdigger.org/2013/07/10/jobs-fair-and-unemployment-info-sessions-planned-for-laid-off-ibm-workers/#sthash.scoGMQLX.dpuf

IBM’s new Morocco centre to create 400 jobs

IBM has announced a new Global Delivery Center in Casablanca that will create up to 400 IT roles in Morocco over the next three years.

The center will enable IBM to deliver a range of innovative technology services to clients in Morocco and across French-speaking Africa. It will also offer IBM clients in the region high value application development, application maintenance and systems integration services.

It will address the increasing demand for flexible software capability to harness the benefits of emerging technologies such as big data, cloud and mobile. IBM is working closely with the Moroccan government and local universities, and the Center is expected to help stimulate economic activity in the country.

Microsoft headed for big management shake-up?

Microsoft will unveil its biggest management reorganization in at least five years, to better compete in a world of mobile devices and web-based services, according to the technology blog AllThingsD.

The changes will shift the duties and responsibilities of many top Microsoft executives and are intended to eliminate overlap within the 98,000-employee company, AllThingsD reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources.

A new cloud computing and business-focused products unit would be headed by Satya Nadella, who currently oversees Microsoft's server business, according to a Bloomberg report last week. Julie Larson-Green, the current co-head of Microsoft's Windows operating system business, will lead the company's hardware efforts, including the Xbox video game console and the Surface tablets, Bloomberg said.

IBM, Jet Airways sign 10-year call centre deal

IT giant IBM will manage the customer call centre, including providing improved analytics capabilities and a 'refreshed' IT infrastructure, for Jet Airways, India's second-largest airline by passengers carried, the two companies announced.

Under the 10-year contract, IBM will provide contact centre and back-office services for the airline's 11 lines of business such as domestic and international reservations, Jet Privilege program, cargo, refunds and helpdesk services. The arrangement is an extension of their three-year relationship under which Jet says the IBM helped transform its core IT Infrastructure.

Wipro wins large technology outsourcing contract worth Rs 2,900 crore from Citigroup

Wipro has won a large technology outsourcing contract, potentially valued at close to $ 500 million (Rs 2,900 crore) from Citigroup, according to people familiar with the development.

The large contract comes at a time when such multi-hundred-million dollar technology contracts have become few and far between. Large corporations in the United States and Europe have been cautious on technology spending and following a practice of breaking up outsourced contracts into smaller projects, which are given out to multiple service providers.

Rupee depreciation: Indian IT cos like Infosys, TCS and Wipro finally have something to cheer about

The Indian technology sector, hobbled by concerns over the US immigration bill, margin pressure due to rising employee and visa cost, lower growth, and deprecation of the rupee, may finally have something to cheer.

The rupee has depreciated 9.87%, or Rs 5.35, against the dollar since April this year. According to analysts, this might translate into gains in operating profit by 100 to 250 basis points for the Indian technology companies.

Former employees say TCS abused Australia visa

Former employees have accused Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) of abusing Australia's migrant worker visa designed to import talent to fill skills shortages.

According to a report Friday by the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC), TCS, which is India's biggest outsourcer by revenues, flouted rules outlined under the 457 visa scheme and imported cheap, foreign workers without first attempting to recruit local talent.

An anonymous former TCS employee told the ABC that if the Indian company needed a new developer, they would not perform the required step to advertise for an Australian worker. "We just contacted the local area manager and he would send a developer on the next plane from Mumbai," the employee said.

TCS, which holds multi-million dollar contracts with Australia's biggest companies, refused to comment on the allegations.

Another former employee of TCS, Hasan Mahboob, said the 457 visa scheme was overused.

"I'd certainly seen heavy use of 457 visa, starting from the very top management-level people, ro relationship managers, account managers, service delivery managers, project managers, program managers, and business analysts--all of which I question should be done by 457 visa," Mahboob said.

Sources:
http://www.zdnet.com/in/former-employees-say-tcs-abused-australia-visa-7000017191/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/workers-accuse-indian-it-giant-of-457-visa-abuse/4769482

HCL Tech gains after multi-year engagement with Vestas Wind Systems

Vestas is a global leader in manufacturing, selling, installing, and servicing of wind turbine power-plants.

HCL will provide application development and management and IT-consultancy services to applications run by Vestas as part of this engagement. The services will be delivered to Vestas primarily from India, but also from the Philippines and across locations in Denmark. Besides cost reduction, Vestas IT expects to gain increased flexibility in terms of skills, scale, knowledge and experience and achieve higher quality by using the HCL's best in class processes and services.

Expanding the H1B Foreign Work Visa Quota Would Help Small Businesses Most

A sweeping immigration reform bill was introduced to the Senate in April, and legislators are poised to begin debate over one of the most contentious issues in the country.

Besides the most important issue of illegal immigration, another key provision of the bill is the expansion in the number of H1B temporary work visas for workers with college degrees or in skilled occupations from the current cap of 65,000 a year to 110,000.

As is true of illegal immigration, the issue of legal work immigration is contentious, with many voices supporting the plan to expand the number of H1B visas granted each year, and many others opposing it.

Read more at http://www.minyanville.com/business-news/politics-and-regulation/articles/Expanding-the-H1B-Foreign-Work-Visa/6/12/2013/id/50294#ixzz2XBNPHkqy

Narayana Murthy effect: Infosys plans high salary for top performers

Infosys is drawing up plans to tilt the scales in favour of top performers, part of efforts to revitalise the workforce after NR Narayana Murthy returned as its chairman on June 1.

According to company executives briefed about Murthy's thinking, the emphasis on employee performance as a vital differentiator is linked to a broader effort to revive a culture of meritocracy in the company that has underperformed the industry for two years. "The differential between high-performers and non-performers will increase. Variable pay will be one mechanism through which this will be achieved," said a person aware of Murthy's plans.

Murthy, 66, returned as executive chairman of Infosys following a request from the company's board, which was under pressure from investors and analysts fretting about the company's troubles. Infosys grew at half the pace of the broader industry in 2012-13 and has admitted that it will lag rivals this year too.

At present, employees with the top ratings receive 50-90% of their variable salary while the lowest-rated ones get only up to 30%. Typically, 10-25% of an executive's compensation can be variable, depending on seniority.

Besides individual performance, the relative performance of the business unit also becomes a key deciding factor.

1.4 crore people joined workforce as on Jan 2012

India added nearly 1.4 crore people to the workforce as on January 2012, up 3 per cent from the same month in 2010, official data showed on Thursday.

"...the workforce at the all-India level, was about 45.9 crore as on January 1, 2010 (NSS 66th round) which increased to 47.29 crore on January 1, 2012 (NSS 68th round), indicating a growth of about 1.39 crore of the workforce at the all-India level between 66th round and 68th round," a release by National Sample Survey Office said today.

The NSSO data was based on 68th round survey conducted during July 2011-June 2012, it said. Of the 47.29 crore people employed, 23.46 crore were rural males, 10.18 crore rural females, 10.92 crore urban males and 2.73 crore urban female, it said.

Google voted best workplace in India, followed by Intel and American Express

Flying in from all corners of the country, braving monsoon rains and traffic jams in Mumbai, the HR chiefs and CEOs of leading companies queued up at a suburban hotel last Friday, with one question in mind: How had they fared in the coveted list- India's Best Companies To Work For.

Given that India Inc is in the throes of a slowdown, talent management has become crucial as industries marshal resources against the tough times. So this year's The Economic Times and The Great Place To Work Institute study had special importance. For some years, the study has provided the industry with a much-needed barometer to judge how companies fare on the people front.

The 2013 study, one of the largest in the world, covered 550 companies spanning 22 industries, surveying 98,998 employees. So it was but natural for the 60 CEOs and some 300 HR chiefs to wait with bated breath as the list was read out. In the end it was Google which once again took the top honour of being the best workplace in India.
Source: EconomicTimes