Accenture hugely short on hiring

Accenture, the multinational consulting firm, has failed to meet its hiring target in India for the current year in the wake of the global slowdown.

The company had said it intended to increase its India headcount to 50,000 this year from 37,000 as of April 2008.

However, it fell short of the target by 10,000 heads, recruiting just 3,000, in the last one year. A company official said that instead of laying off people after the slump, Accenture had decided to go slow on recruitment.

"Our recruitment cycle is in line with business demand and our target is to have the right people for the demand we see," Prithvi Shergill, lead human resources, Accenture India Delivery Centre, said.

However, he refused to comment on the specific reasons why Accenture fell short in its recruitment. But the firm is ready to leave no stone unturned to get more people on board when needed, both at entry and domain knowledge level, he said.

"Managing supply and demand of resources remains a top priority in Accenture and we balance the skills of our workforce against client changing needs and we continue to recruit in skill areas where we need additional capacity to meet client demand," an official spokesperson told.

Accenture, which invests up to $700 million a year on training and human resources worldwide, is making optimum use of investment in training model.

At the same time, the firm has also ventured into tie-ups with institutes such as XLRI, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and others for campus recruitments.

As for the protectionist tendencies being seen in the US, Shergill felt there was little to be concerned.

"We do not see any direct implication on our clients, but we are watching that space. As we understand that better we will see what needs to be done. There is lost to talk but we still need to see how that translates," he said.

Refusing to divulge the hiring target this year, Shergillsaid, "We have never had a freeze on hiring. We have been recruiting right through and will continue to hire as per our client requirements."

Counting heads
Recruitment cycle slowed due to slump and prevention of layoffs
Spends $700 million a year on employee training alone
Has tie-ups with institutes such as XLRI and ISB
Source: DNA