IT companies to hire more foreigners abroad

Infosys and Wipro could see non-Indians account for 10-15% of their total employee base in 3 to 5 years

 

India's top technology firms, including TCS, Infosys and Wipro, are preparing to increase the proportion of foreign employees in their workforce as they seek to address protectionist lobbies and position themselves as 'job creators' in the markets they serve.

 

The move comes in the wake of growing anti-offshoring sentiments in the US, the world's biggest market for software services.

 

While TCS aims to double its foreign workforce from the current 10,000 over the next five years, Infosys and Wipro could see non-Indians account for 10-15 percent of their total employee base in three to five years' time, from around 5 percent now.

 

"It's a strategy to reverse the trend, as we realise that it's necessary to shed the old way of getting only Indians to do the jobs," said Pratik Kumar, corporate vice-president and HR head of Wipro. "How can you justify the fact that despite significant overseas revenues, we still have over 95 percent Indians on the payroll?" he added.

 

Source: The Economic Times