There is an increasingly visible phenomenon occurring all over Bangalore today. If you are strolling down the streets, or having a drink at a bar, or dining at a restaurant, you will observe a growing number of foreigners all over the place . India has always had great appeal for tourists, but these visitors are not merely here to take in the sights and sounds of India . The reason why there is a sudden influx of foreign nationals in the country is because of outsourcing and increasing foreign investment in India . These foreigners are here because they see enormous potential in the Indian marketplace. These are people who have a rather unconventional reaction to the outsourcing phenomenon. There are those who extol the virtues of this management trend while there are others who see it as the source of unemployment woes. The latter reaction has caused much bitterness and resistance to outsourcing. However, there are some who believe that instead of fighting this trend perhaps the best way to deal with it is to follow its inherent potential. The foreigners thronging the city of Bangalore may still be a minority compared to the vast number of Indians working in the IT sector in the city, but there is a definite shift with people migrating here in search of experience and willing to contribute their skills in what they recognize as a booming marketplace.
How significant is this phenomenon?
The growing numbers will prove that even though the figures might be comparatively low there is a perceptible change in the number of foreigners coming to India ever since outsourcing boomed in the country. An article in the Times of India titled “Phoren whizkids chip into India ’s Silicon Alley” ( July 25, 2004 ) said that there are approximately 30,000 foreign nationals working in India . Out of these there are about 10,000 to 12,000 foreign nationals registered in Bangalore and 2000 to 3000 of them are working in IT and IT Enabled Services firms in Bangalore . Most of them are from the US or UK , but there are also Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Italians, and Poles. However the numbers are still a minority of the total number of people working in the IT and ITES sector as there is still a persistent view that India has more to teach in terms of spiritual values than about business models.
Who are they?
Head Hunters Private Limited, a Bangalore based recruitment firm, is getting an increasing number of job applications from foreigners. Every week at least 1 or 2 foreign nationals walk in for a job and the firm receives at least 10-20 calls or e-mails from people in the US and Europe. Currently there are mostly applications from English speaking countries. Most of the applicants are in the 25 – 55 age bracket with educational qualifications ranging from high school to doctorates and they are seeking jobs in sectors as varied as BPO, pharma, hotels, software, hardware, retail, petroleum, biotech, telecom, and automotive.
Head Hunters has perceived a noticeable change in numbers. In 2001 there were hardly any foreigners where as now there are people walking in for interviews.
Why are they coming?
There are a number of young professionals seeking jobs here. They want to gain from the experience and believe that working in India will give them an edge and make it easier for them to get jobs back home. Working in a different business culture and one that is at the center of one of the most revolutionary management trends make them more open minded and flexible.
However, this is just one segment of the people who are coming in. The IT and outsourcing boom offers rapid growth and success to professionals and highly qualified people try to find the best place to maximize their potential. But some of them come simply out of necessity. They find it difficult to get work back home and follow the jobs to India. These people believe that being too choosy about a job in a global economy is not going to work. The reason why there are so many young professionals flocking to India is because they can afford to have this mindset as family obligations are not as much of a consideration. Along with working here, they come to tour the country and learn more about the Indian culture.
There are also a certain number of senior management level professionals working here. These individuals want to gain a better perspective on the world market. Due to a scarcity of senior management level people in newer and large scale industries like telecom, oil and natural gas, Indian companies are looking out for people who can contribute their skills. These foreigners believe that here they have the space to start something anew whereas back home they are just one among the crowd.
Remuneration for these foreign nationals depend on their skills. If they contribute unavailable or rare skill then they get paid the same or higher salaries than what they were receiving in their home country. Those who come voluntarily, since either their jobs were lost or to gain experience, are generally paid equivalent to their Indian counterparts.
Indian Companies encouraging the trend
Indian companies that are looking at being truly global in nature and not just in name are trying to incorporate more foreigners into their teams. Infosys has a summer global internship program which received 8,500 applications this year for 75 vacancies. Companies like Infosys want to become more multi-cultural, which obviously requires interaction with other nationalities. They want to incorporate more foreign nationals into their work force in India as their current foreign employees are stationed in company branches abroad. However, company headquarters are in India and so are the research and development centers. Therefore, several Indian companies want to create diversity by employing foreigners in their Indian offices as this is where the bulk of the work is carried out. An added advantage of this multi-cultural environment is also having foreign employees represent company interests. In this way Indian companies hope to establish additional credibility as global clients are more receptive and confident doing business when there is a fellow national representing the Indian vendor. For example, American customers might be more comfortable dealing with an American employee in an Indian company.
These companies are also trying to facilitate and enhance their foreign employees’ experience in India . Since most of the foreigners come here with the dual aim of gaining work experience as well as seeing the country, several companies arrange visits to tourist locations over the weekends. Some may find the traffic and pollution difficult to cope with and they are provided with transportation to facilitate their commuting.
Even though none of these foreign nationals are actually looking at staying in the country permanently they are creating a path for others who want to come to India to soak in the global experience.
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