Software engineering services is projected to be a $45-50-billion export business in a decade, and this is expected to force Indian companies to import engineers to tap the opportunity, says a Nasscom-Booz Allen study of the sector.
Bringing in overseas people will be necessary because of severe talent shortage, said Ketan Bakshi, CMD of Neilsoft, an engineering services company. Mr Bakshi is also member of the executive committee of Nasscom and co-chair of its engineering forum.
“By 2020, Indian software engineering services companies will need to bring in 25-30% of engineering talent from abroad, since there is a huge shortage of trained people now in India. And, as Indian engineering services companies step up their global presence to meet that $45-billion market opportunity, that shortage will only increase,” Mr Bakshi said.
Mr Bakshi estimates that nearly 1-1.5 million people will be needed by engineering services companies alone, of which about 250,000-plus, will have to come from elsewhere. This is a little less than the combined strengths of TCS and Infosys, in terms of revenues and headcount.
Samir Yajnik, president, global services and chief operating officer, Asia-Pacific, Tata Technologies, supported Mr Bakshi’s view on talent shortage in India. “If we are to meet those $45-billion targets by 2020, then we will definitely face a manpower shortage in the next few years. I wouldn’t want to put a number of exactly how big that gap will be, but yes, given the number of engineering colleges, etc that are slated to come up and those revenue figures, there will be a shortfall,” Mr Yajnik said.
Mr Yajnik illustrated the route adopted by Tata Technologies to handle this situation. “We have begun to proactively bridge this gap by building relationships with other countries. So, we have built an engineering centre in Thailand which does our low-end engineering. Overall costs in low-end engineering services are lower in Thailand and we will have to build more such tier-II relationships. We will take on the full-vehicle programme here in India (because this is a better location than the others) and farm out the lower end to centres like the one we now have in Thailand. In future, we will look at Korea and even China,” Mr Yajnik said.
Increasingly, this will mean that Indian companies in this space will become global, Mr Bakshi said, and solve their issues the way a global company would: by farming out work where costs are lowest and talent available.
“Growth is heady and any time such growth happens, there is a big strain. A fresh graduate needs more than six-12 months of training to become a good engineer. For engineering projects, say, in the infrastructure sector, a good engineer would be the one with 15-20 years of experience. Look at our national infrastructure projects and the pace at which they are being done: part of the reason is that we do not have the manpower to execute so much work,” Mr Bakshi stated.
The other issue which will require the import of people is the lack of bandwidth, Mr Bakshi said. “Indian companies do not have the bandwidth to handle the kind of infrastructure projects that are coming up, so they will have to get expertise from abroad,” he said.
The trick, both agreed, is to manage the scalability of operations and that is something industry is addressing, each in its own way
from: theeconomictimes.com
Comfort Jobs
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Comfort Jobs: Capgemini India hires 10,000 people in 2010, to re...
Comfort Jobs: Capgemini India hires 10,000 people in 2010, to re...: "Bullish on strong growth prospects in India, global IT consultancy Capgemini has hired 10,000 people so far in 2010 and plans to recruit ano..."
Capgemini India hires 10,000 people in 2010, to recruit 7000 more.
Bullish on strong growth prospects in India, global IT consultancy Capgemini has hired 10,000 people so far in 2010 and plans to recruit another 7,000 by the year-end.
"We have already hired more than 10,000 people as of July. We plan to recruit further 7,000 within this year," Capgemini India Executive Chairman Salil Parekh said.
Placing emphasis on the importance of the Indian market in the group's growth strategy, Parekh said,"Capgemini India is an important resource centre to drive Capgemini's Rightshore model and is also the main innovation hub for the group."
"Additionally, the domestic market in India has also seen a lot of traction. We have added more than 40 clients in the last 18 months. With such a lot of growth, we need to be in a position to service this and, hence, have stepped up the recruitment process," he said.
Capgemini India's employee strength was at 26,000 in June 2010. It has a strong presence across seven cities in India, primarily Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Delhi.
The outsourcing firm reported its second quarter and first half earnings result this week. It stated that the main markets, in which the group operates, saw steadily improving activity levels, despite the lingering effect of the global economic crisis on IT services.
The group's second quarter revenue increased by 5.2 per cent to 2.15 billion euros over the first quarter of this year. Booking volumes also confirmed a positive trend with outsourcing services recording the highest rise of 37 per cent in bookings, thanks to the early renewal or extension of several major contracts.
Optimistic about companies' boosting their technology spend, Capgemini has raised its 2010 targets. The group now forecasts revenue growth of 3-5 per cent in the second half of 2010.
Present in more than 30 countries, Capgemini employs over 95,000 people worldwide, and its Indian employee strength represents 27 per cent of the global head count.
from:theeconomicstimes.com
"We have already hired more than 10,000 people as of July. We plan to recruit further 7,000 within this year," Capgemini India Executive Chairman Salil Parekh said.
Placing emphasis on the importance of the Indian market in the group's growth strategy, Parekh said,"Capgemini India is an important resource centre to drive Capgemini's Rightshore model and is also the main innovation hub for the group."
"Additionally, the domestic market in India has also seen a lot of traction. We have added more than 40 clients in the last 18 months. With such a lot of growth, we need to be in a position to service this and, hence, have stepped up the recruitment process," he said.
Capgemini India's employee strength was at 26,000 in June 2010. It has a strong presence across seven cities in India, primarily Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Delhi.
The outsourcing firm reported its second quarter and first half earnings result this week. It stated that the main markets, in which the group operates, saw steadily improving activity levels, despite the lingering effect of the global economic crisis on IT services.
The group's second quarter revenue increased by 5.2 per cent to 2.15 billion euros over the first quarter of this year. Booking volumes also confirmed a positive trend with outsourcing services recording the highest rise of 37 per cent in bookings, thanks to the early renewal or extension of several major contracts.
Optimistic about companies' boosting their technology spend, Capgemini has raised its 2010 targets. The group now forecasts revenue growth of 3-5 per cent in the second half of 2010.
Present in more than 30 countries, Capgemini employs over 95,000 people worldwide, and its Indian employee strength represents 27 per cent of the global head count.
from:theeconomicstimes.com
Monday, August 2, 2010
Comfort Jobs: Dealing with a Bad Boss
Comfort Jobs: Dealing with a Bad Boss: "Everyone dislikes their boss at some point. But if it’s a perpetual state of affairs, that’s a serious problem. It could make your working d..."
Dealing with a Bad Boss
Everyone dislikes their boss at some point. But if it’s a perpetual state of affairs, that’s a serious problem. It could make your working day hell and potentially affect your overall job performance.
Studies have shown that discord between an employee and manager is one of the major reasons why people leave jobs. But running away from your job should only be a last resort since you could easily find another bad boss at your next job.
Bad bosses come in many flavors, and here are some ways in which you can deal with them. Warning: Many involve a degree of self-control and discipline that you probably won’t feel if you detest your supervisor but are worth giving a shot.
1. Is it just you or everyone else too?
“It’s very easy to misunderstand the boss,” says Ramesh Vaswani, executive vice chairman of computer accessory-maker Intex Technologies (India) Ltd. Mr. Vaswani says employees should appreciate that there is a reason why the person is your boss. So instead of taking the boss’s antagonistic attitude personally, try to understand the reason for the bad behavior. If necessary, do your own rigorous self-assessment.
Are you not doing your work up to the required standards? Change that. Does your personality not match with your boss’s? Overcome your personal feelings and focus on your professional relationship with the boss.
However, if the boss is perceived as bad for your peers as well–it really isn’t you, it’s him!–try some of the steps mentioned below.
2. Try on the boss’s shoes.
A bad manager is not necessarily a bad person. Often, the problem is that managers don’t have any training or skills to manage people. Or they may be insecure, or they might just be under pressure from their bosses to deliver tough targets.
Understanding your boss’s perspective can enable you to figure out steps to tackle the situation. For instance, do what it takes to help the boss achieve his or her goals; you will be appreciated more. “That empathy towards trying to understand your manager…has helped people,” says Sanjay Pandit, managing director of recruiting firm Manpower Services India. This is especially the case for employees in functions like sales and marketing and finance, adds Mr. Pandit.
3. Is your boss inefficient?
If your boss is not doing his job well, and is not interested in improving either, that could reflect badly on your team’s results and on you. Try taking some more responsibility, even if means doing tasks that don’t fall strictly under your job profile. If your work can help raise your team’s delivery rate, you’ll benefit ultimately. Think of this as an opportunity to get more experience than you normally could if you were working under a boss who micro-manages. When possible, you could informally bring up your achievements before other superiors or human-resource managers.
4. You do the work, boss takes the credit.
One way to get around this is to try to become more visible to higher-ups in the organization. Stand up and be seen in “team meetings, where the boss’s boss is also attending or people from other functions are also attending,” says Mr. Pandit.
You could also keep a detailed log of your accomplishments, major tasks or projects completed and how that compares with many of your peers. This could come in handy at performance review time to show either to your boss who won’t acknowledge your achievements or someone higher up in case you need to defend your performance.
Silent performers could end up suffering in this case, says Mr. Pandit.
5. Working for a bully.
Does your boss yell, curse, or humiliate you in front of your peers?
If it’s a one-off case, then forget about it. But if it happens often, experts advise taking up the matter with the boss’s supervisors or the company’s human resources team. “This is…non-acceptable behavior,” says Rajendra Ghag, executive vice president of human resources and administration at HDFC Standard Life Insurance Co. Ltd. A company with the right culture will take action against the manager immediately.
Whatever you do, do not yell back or get into a shouting match with your boss. It will not help resolve anything. Remember, your behavior is being seen by your peers and others in the organization, and you don’t want to come across as too aggressive or vengeful. If you need to vent, take it outside, or home, or anywhere but your boss’s office.
6. Speak up, politely.
Experts say that often managers don’t even realize that they are perceived as bad managers. “There are many blind spots all of us have,” says Ms. Ghag.
Consider communicating your problem to your manager, professionally and with a positive spin. For instance, if you are upset that you don’t get enough feedback or are under-appreciated, approach the boss and say: “I loved doing this project but it would really help me if you could suggest ways that I can improve and do this better.” Or, if you are given too short a time to complete a project, say that you could do a better job if you had more time to do other things like X and Y. The key is to make your point without hostility.
7. Use your company’s feedback system.
You can also try communicating with the boss indirectly through the company’s feedback system. That could include everything from boxes where you can write anonymous letters to a “360 degree feedback” system in which a manager is rated based on comments from various people, including his peers and subordinates. Or, you can go directly to the human-resource managers with your specific grievances.
“Every company will have some avenue” for feedback, says Vikram Bhalla, partner and director at the Boston Consulting Group. He adds, however, that the effectiveness of this step depends largely on how much emphasis the company places on its culture versus achieving sales and growth targets.
8. Stick it out.
You have tried your best to resolve the problems with your boss, but it hasn’t helped. But you are working for a dream company and would like to have a long-term career there. Seriously think about just sticking it out, however unpalatable that might sound. Remember that bosses also rotate so you won’t have to bear your current boss forever. Or your job function could change where you don’t have to deal with this person all the time.
9. Time to move on.
Then there are times when nothing seems to work and you can’t take it any more. It may be time to accept that if the relationship with your boss is too destructive for your peace of mind and career prospects. Look for another job, either within the company but in another department, or with another organization. Many companies conduct exit interviews where you may finally get a chance to elaborate extensively on your frustrations, even if it means you then walk out the door.
from: wsj.com
Studies have shown that discord between an employee and manager is one of the major reasons why people leave jobs. But running away from your job should only be a last resort since you could easily find another bad boss at your next job.
Bad bosses come in many flavors, and here are some ways in which you can deal with them. Warning: Many involve a degree of self-control and discipline that you probably won’t feel if you detest your supervisor but are worth giving a shot.
1. Is it just you or everyone else too?
“It’s very easy to misunderstand the boss,” says Ramesh Vaswani, executive vice chairman of computer accessory-maker Intex Technologies (India) Ltd. Mr. Vaswani says employees should appreciate that there is a reason why the person is your boss. So instead of taking the boss’s antagonistic attitude personally, try to understand the reason for the bad behavior. If necessary, do your own rigorous self-assessment.
Are you not doing your work up to the required standards? Change that. Does your personality not match with your boss’s? Overcome your personal feelings and focus on your professional relationship with the boss.
However, if the boss is perceived as bad for your peers as well–it really isn’t you, it’s him!–try some of the steps mentioned below.
2. Try on the boss’s shoes.
A bad manager is not necessarily a bad person. Often, the problem is that managers don’t have any training or skills to manage people. Or they may be insecure, or they might just be under pressure from their bosses to deliver tough targets.
Understanding your boss’s perspective can enable you to figure out steps to tackle the situation. For instance, do what it takes to help the boss achieve his or her goals; you will be appreciated more. “That empathy towards trying to understand your manager…has helped people,” says Sanjay Pandit, managing director of recruiting firm Manpower Services India. This is especially the case for employees in functions like sales and marketing and finance, adds Mr. Pandit.
3. Is your boss inefficient?
If your boss is not doing his job well, and is not interested in improving either, that could reflect badly on your team’s results and on you. Try taking some more responsibility, even if means doing tasks that don’t fall strictly under your job profile. If your work can help raise your team’s delivery rate, you’ll benefit ultimately. Think of this as an opportunity to get more experience than you normally could if you were working under a boss who micro-manages. When possible, you could informally bring up your achievements before other superiors or human-resource managers.
4. You do the work, boss takes the credit.
One way to get around this is to try to become more visible to higher-ups in the organization. Stand up and be seen in “team meetings, where the boss’s boss is also attending or people from other functions are also attending,” says Mr. Pandit.
You could also keep a detailed log of your accomplishments, major tasks or projects completed and how that compares with many of your peers. This could come in handy at performance review time to show either to your boss who won’t acknowledge your achievements or someone higher up in case you need to defend your performance.
Silent performers could end up suffering in this case, says Mr. Pandit.
5. Working for a bully.
Does your boss yell, curse, or humiliate you in front of your peers?
If it’s a one-off case, then forget about it. But if it happens often, experts advise taking up the matter with the boss’s supervisors or the company’s human resources team. “This is…non-acceptable behavior,” says Rajendra Ghag, executive vice president of human resources and administration at HDFC Standard Life Insurance Co. Ltd. A company with the right culture will take action against the manager immediately.
Whatever you do, do not yell back or get into a shouting match with your boss. It will not help resolve anything. Remember, your behavior is being seen by your peers and others in the organization, and you don’t want to come across as too aggressive or vengeful. If you need to vent, take it outside, or home, or anywhere but your boss’s office.
6. Speak up, politely.
Experts say that often managers don’t even realize that they are perceived as bad managers. “There are many blind spots all of us have,” says Ms. Ghag.
Consider communicating your problem to your manager, professionally and with a positive spin. For instance, if you are upset that you don’t get enough feedback or are under-appreciated, approach the boss and say: “I loved doing this project but it would really help me if you could suggest ways that I can improve and do this better.” Or, if you are given too short a time to complete a project, say that you could do a better job if you had more time to do other things like X and Y. The key is to make your point without hostility.
7. Use your company’s feedback system.
You can also try communicating with the boss indirectly through the company’s feedback system. That could include everything from boxes where you can write anonymous letters to a “360 degree feedback” system in which a manager is rated based on comments from various people, including his peers and subordinates. Or, you can go directly to the human-resource managers with your specific grievances.
“Every company will have some avenue” for feedback, says Vikram Bhalla, partner and director at the Boston Consulting Group. He adds, however, that the effectiveness of this step depends largely on how much emphasis the company places on its culture versus achieving sales and growth targets.
8. Stick it out.
You have tried your best to resolve the problems with your boss, but it hasn’t helped. But you are working for a dream company and would like to have a long-term career there. Seriously think about just sticking it out, however unpalatable that might sound. Remember that bosses also rotate so you won’t have to bear your current boss forever. Or your job function could change where you don’t have to deal with this person all the time.
9. Time to move on.
Then there are times when nothing seems to work and you can’t take it any more. It may be time to accept that if the relationship with your boss is too destructive for your peace of mind and career prospects. Look for another job, either within the company but in another department, or with another organization. Many companies conduct exit interviews where you may finally get a chance to elaborate extensively on your frustrations, even if it means you then walk out the door.
from: wsj.com
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Comfort Jobs: Infosys Looks Toward Global Growth
Comfort Jobs: Infosys Looks Toward Global Growth: "S. Gopalakrishnan, known as Kris to his colleagues, is one of the seven founders of Infosys Technologies Ltd. Mr. Gopalakrishnan took over a..."
Infosys Looks Toward Global Growth
S. Gopalakrishnan, known as Kris to his colleagues, is one of the seven founders of Infosys Technologies Ltd. Mr. Gopalakrishnan took over as chief executive and managing director of the company in June 2007. Mr. Gopalakrishnan has helmed Infosys at a time when the Indian software industry is going through its worst phase since the dotcom bust. He has seen Infosys evolve into India's second-largest software exporter by revenue and he is part of the core team that is setting the agenda for India's bellwether technology companies. His leadership skills will be tested when the Bangalore-based company, listed on the Nasdaq and Indian stock exchanges, is looking to make strategic acquisitions to grow in emerging markets, while reducing its reliance on the key U.S. market.
What is your vision for the company and how do you plan to achieve that?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: There are two parts to the vision. One, we need to expand our footprint outside India from a market perspective -- so we are investing in Europe, Asia, Middle East, South and Latin America. We have plans to recruit 1,000 people in the U.S. Already about 140 offers have been made. Seventy have joined. ... In a quarter we are looking at about 250 people. Over time we see about 15% of our employees as non-Indians. The second dimension is to invest in research, development and recruiting the right people.
How has Infosys been impacted by the recession?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We have been able to maintain our margins and even add our employee strength. So, in spite of growth coming down to almost zero -- this year we are looking at almost zero percent growth -- we have been able to make the investments required and sustain our margins. Hence, I believe that we are emerging out of it stronger.
When do you expect to regain historic growth levels?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We don't know whether it will come back to old levels. What we are seeing from projections is that it is possible for the industry to get to double-digit growth rate -- between 10% and 20%. I think the recovery of the economy itself would be sufficient to reach this growth level. There are already signs of that.
You have almost $2.8 billion in cash. How do you plan to utilize this cash?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: One of the reasons for that cash is acquisition. It gives you the confidence to make an acquisition happen. But we also believe that we must be able to run the business with no revenue for as long as a year.
We are looking at acquisitions in non-English speaking markets like Germany, France, Japan to accelerate growth and get new capabilities. We are not looking at acquiring a business and cleaning it up and making it profitable.
What is the size of the acquisitions you are looking at?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: Ordinarily we look at a company of 10% of our size. So I am talking about revenue of maybe $300 million to $500 million. But, if a great opportunity comes, we would look at it. And the cash will definitely help.
Would Infosys be an acquisition target?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: If you are a public company you are always an acquisition target...With founders holding probably a 16.5% stake, today potentially we can get bought out. If the company is well run, the likelihood of getting acquired is less.
You are one of the last from the core founding group to head the company. Do you have a succession plan?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We have a robust succession plan in place. I see most of senior positions filled -- let's say 90% to 95% senior position filled -- from within the company.
How do you view competition from China? There's talk that outsourcing could move from India to China in the future.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: It is not a factor today. Maybe 5 or 10 years down the line it will be. But right now the competitive dynamics has not changed that much. It is still the same set of five or six companies that we compete always in all markets. A few from India and a few from outside.
Where are your fastest growing markets?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: India is doing well for us. In China we have some challenges. We don't have enough to show our capability in that market. So our brand is not yet there. It will take some time.
Why is Infosys conservative in its outlook on client budgets, while others are not?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: Better is a relative term. The budgets this year declined by 6% to 8% from last year, according to analysts. So being flat is better than declining. We are not overly optimistic at this point because the uncertainties in the market have not gone away. It is better to be cautious. I would not call it conservative.
When do you see that kind of confidence returning?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: May be a couple of years. It is positive if it happens before that. But it is better to be cautious.
But you have been optimistic about the pricing environment?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We are optimistic. The bottom has been reached and recovery has started. Pricing also continues to be stable. But, we don't see pricing power returning.
What about business volumes?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: That is where the growth will come from, in the next fiscal year also. Whatever growth will be, will come from volumes.
From: wsj.com
What is your vision for the company and how do you plan to achieve that?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: There are two parts to the vision. One, we need to expand our footprint outside India from a market perspective -- so we are investing in Europe, Asia, Middle East, South and Latin America. We have plans to recruit 1,000 people in the U.S. Already about 140 offers have been made. Seventy have joined. ... In a quarter we are looking at about 250 people. Over time we see about 15% of our employees as non-Indians. The second dimension is to invest in research, development and recruiting the right people.
How has Infosys been impacted by the recession?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We have been able to maintain our margins and even add our employee strength. So, in spite of growth coming down to almost zero -- this year we are looking at almost zero percent growth -- we have been able to make the investments required and sustain our margins. Hence, I believe that we are emerging out of it stronger.
When do you expect to regain historic growth levels?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We don't know whether it will come back to old levels. What we are seeing from projections is that it is possible for the industry to get to double-digit growth rate -- between 10% and 20%. I think the recovery of the economy itself would be sufficient to reach this growth level. There are already signs of that.
You have almost $2.8 billion in cash. How do you plan to utilize this cash?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: One of the reasons for that cash is acquisition. It gives you the confidence to make an acquisition happen. But we also believe that we must be able to run the business with no revenue for as long as a year.
We are looking at acquisitions in non-English speaking markets like Germany, France, Japan to accelerate growth and get new capabilities. We are not looking at acquiring a business and cleaning it up and making it profitable.
What is the size of the acquisitions you are looking at?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: Ordinarily we look at a company of 10% of our size. So I am talking about revenue of maybe $300 million to $500 million. But, if a great opportunity comes, we would look at it. And the cash will definitely help.
Would Infosys be an acquisition target?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: If you are a public company you are always an acquisition target...With founders holding probably a 16.5% stake, today potentially we can get bought out. If the company is well run, the likelihood of getting acquired is less.
You are one of the last from the core founding group to head the company. Do you have a succession plan?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We have a robust succession plan in place. I see most of senior positions filled -- let's say 90% to 95% senior position filled -- from within the company.
How do you view competition from China? There's talk that outsourcing could move from India to China in the future.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: It is not a factor today. Maybe 5 or 10 years down the line it will be. But right now the competitive dynamics has not changed that much. It is still the same set of five or six companies that we compete always in all markets. A few from India and a few from outside.
Where are your fastest growing markets?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: India is doing well for us. In China we have some challenges. We don't have enough to show our capability in that market. So our brand is not yet there. It will take some time.
Why is Infosys conservative in its outlook on client budgets, while others are not?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: Better is a relative term. The budgets this year declined by 6% to 8% from last year, according to analysts. So being flat is better than declining. We are not overly optimistic at this point because the uncertainties in the market have not gone away. It is better to be cautious. I would not call it conservative.
When do you see that kind of confidence returning?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: May be a couple of years. It is positive if it happens before that. But it is better to be cautious.
But you have been optimistic about the pricing environment?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: We are optimistic. The bottom has been reached and recovery has started. Pricing also continues to be stable. But, we don't see pricing power returning.
What about business volumes?
Mr. Gopalakrishnan: That is where the growth will come from, in the next fiscal year also. Whatever growth will be, will come from volumes.
From: wsj.com
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