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India
ranks 44 as global retail destination:
report
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India
has been ranked 44th on the list of
most preferred destinations by global
retailers, according to a report by
real estate consultant CB Richard
Ellis. The report explores the globalisation
of the retail industry and scrutinises
retailer presence in relation to market
sectors, country of origin, regional
trends and other influences. "Even
though the Indian economy is growing
at a rapid pace with consumers having
more buying power, we are still only
at the 44th position," said Anshuman
Magazine, chairman and managing director
of CB Richard Ellis (South Asia).
"This is primarily due to foreign
direct investment (FDI) restrictions
in retail and also relatively lower
average per-capita income in the country.
Hopefully in the future, if the FDI
norms are relaxed, coupled with expected
economic growth, India would move
up in the rankings," Magazine added.
Britain leads the chart with the presence
of 55 per cent retailers, Spain second
with 51 per cent retailers followed
by France, a close third with 49 per
cent retailers. France and Germany
also performed strongly in the global
ranking, achieving third and fourth
positions respectively. The United
Arab Emirates, China and Russia figured
in the top 10, the report said. "The
penetration of international retailers
into these emerging markets is similar
to that of much more mature economies,
explained by a number of domestic
political, economic and retail market
idiosyncrasies," it said. Interestingly,
the US was ranked 11th with the presence
of 39 per cent of international retailers.
Presence of luxury goods dominated
the international retail expansion,
with almost 90 per cent having a presence
in more than 10 markets, whereas grocery,
food and drink retailers indicated
60 per cent presence in 10 or more
markets.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 29,
2008
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Economy
to grow at 9%: UN body
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Despite
global slowdown, the Indian economy
will continue to grow at 9 per cent
in 2008-09, said UN economic and social
commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UN-ESCAP) survey released on Thursday.
"India's economy has entered into
a 'new phase of high growth', with
expansion of 9 per cent forecast for
2008, buoyed by investment and savings
amid increasing productive capacity,"
said the report. Indian economy is
expected to grow by 8.7 per cent during
2007-08 but many think-tanks expect
moderation in growth in the coming
fiscal. The survey released by commerce
and industry minister Kamal Nath,
also said, ''India could achieve and
sustain a 10 per cent growth rate
by further improving the country's
business environment, by developing
its physical infrastructure and human
capital." Pointing out main drivers
of the growth would be industrial
and services sectors, the survey said
in the medium-term, India could see
economic growth between 8.5 per cent
to 9.5 per cent. Referring to the
concerns over sustaining high growth,
it said the growth could be strained
on account of factors like availability
of labour, capital stock and inflationary
instabilities. The survey further
warned, "Inflationary pressures could
persist as international commodity
prices, especially oil and food prices,
are high."
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, March
28, 2008
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Bharti
expands telecom footprint in Europe
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Guernsey
Airtel, a subsidiary of the Bharti
Group, on Wednesday announced the
launch of its mobile services in Guernsey
(Channel Islands, Europe). The Company
will offer market-leading products
and services under the Airtel-Vodafone
brand to customers on the Island.
Addressing on the launch, Chairman
and Managing Director of Bharti Group,
Sunil Bharti Mittal said, "We are
happy to launch our services in Guernsey
and expand our footprint in Channel
Islands. Our services in Jersey have
been well received by customers and
we are looking forward to delighting
customers in Guernsey." "We are committed
to bringing the best in class services
to customers and adding value to the
community and businesses on the Island,"
he added. Airtel-Vodafone has launched
a range of innovative new products
and services and highly competitive
price plans offering the Guernsey
customer real value and choice. The
new services include Voice Mail services
which allow voice mail messages to
be accessed through a customer?s email;
a Missed Call Alert service letting
customers know who called even when
the phone is switched off; an E-Bill
service which gives up to date billing
information and a new phone to phone
method of topping up for pre-paid
customers. Together with these services
Airtel-Vodafone has launched with
simple and easy to understand price
plans which will re-shape boundaries
and break barriers. Contract bundles
include minutes to all Channel Island
mobiles and fixed lines, and to UK
and Guernsey fixed lines. Customers
are also being offered significant
discounts if they choose to keep their
existing handset, thus offering real
choice. Also a Pay-As-You-Go offer
has been launched for pre-paid customers,
offering flat rates across all networks
in Channel Islands, the United Kingdom
and the European Union and a 1p flat
rate to call or text any Airtel-Vodafone
mobile. Bharti made its debut in Europe
(Channel Islands) last year with launch
of mobile services under the Airtel-Vodafone
brand in Jersey in June 2007.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 27,
2008
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Maruti
Suzuki launches Swift DZire
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India's
leading car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki,
today launched its new entry level
sedan Swift DZire in the national
capital, with plans to consolidate
its position in the big-car segment.
Having a 1.3 litre engine, DZire is
another edition of Maruti's other
models in the series of Swift and
SX4, but unlike previous models DZire
is more powerful. The new model, which
comes both in diesel and petrol engines,
offers various luxury feature including
integrated stereo, steering mounted
audio controls, automatic climate
control and power windows. It also
provides safety features like Dual
Airbags, ABS with EDB, collapsible
steering column and an i-CATS anti-theft
facility. Many of these features are
being offered for the first time in
this segment. While launching the
new model, Managing Director of Maruti
Suzuki, S Nakanishi said, "The DZire
is the seventh model Maruti Suzuki
has launched in the last three years.
It has a special place in our product
strategy. Millions of Indians own
compact cars. With growing incomes
and better lifestyle, many of them
want to upgrade to a sedan. But today,
they are not able to find an entry
level sedan that offers style, features
and performance. The DZire offers
all this, and at an attractive price."
The petrol variant will cost Rs 4,49,000
to Rs 5,90,000, while the diesel variant
will cost Rs 5,39,000 to Rs 6,70,000.
The diesel version comes with the
1.3 litre DDiS engine, offering a
torque of 190 Nm at 2000 rpm. DZire
is offered in seven colors ie; Arctic
White, Silky Silver, Clear Beige,
Midnight Black, Bright Red, Azure
Gray and Sovereign Blue.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 26,
2008
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Singapore's
DBS bank to expand in India
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DBS
Group Holdings Limited, South East
Asia's biggest lender, on Tuesday
said that it was setting up eight
more branches in India after receiving
permission from the Reserve Bank of
India. Â"This brings DBS India's presence
to a total of 10 branches in key citiesÂ"
in addition to those located in New
Delhi and Mumbai,Â" a statement said.
The new branches will be located in
the key cities of Bangalore, Chennai,
Kolkata, Moradabad, Nasik, Pune, Salem
and Surat, and would start operating
within 12 months.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 26,
2008
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Tata
acquires Jaguar, Land Rover
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India's
Tata Motors on wednesday acquired
Ford's British marquees Jaguar and
Land Rover for 2.30 billion dollars
in an all cash deal, sealing a deal
that it pursued for nine months. Under
the deal, Tata would continue to source
engine from Ford, which would be paying
about 600 million dollars toward the
pension liabilities of Jaguar-Land
Rover employees.
Courtesy:
www.hindu.com, March 26, 2008
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India's
Wipro to create hundreds of UK tech
jobs
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Indian
IT giant Wipro is set to create hundreds
of new jobs in the United Kindom by
taking advantage of government tax
breaks and opening a low-cost regional
software development facility outside
of London and the South East. Bangalore-based
Wipro is evaluating several regions
for its next delivery center including
Birmingham, Cranfield, Edinburgh,
Manchester and Warwick. Its existing
U.K. headquarters in Reading currently
employs 300 people with room for 500.
When this is filled the plan is to
open a new office (probably in the
next one to two years) which will
also have room for 500 staff. Wipro
is looking for government tax incentives,
linked to the number of jobs created,
to help offset the cost of setting
up its U.K. delivery center. In a
trend becoming known as 'reverse offshoring'
Wipro and Indian rivals Infosys and
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) are
using this tactic as they are forced
to expand deeper into western countries
to extend their global reach. TCS
this week announced a 1,000-person
delivery center in Cincinnati, Ohio
and Wipro recently set up low-cost
onshore facilities to support U.S.
customers in areas such as Troy near
Detroit in Michigan and Atlanta, Georgia.
This is part of Wipro's strategy to
expand its onshore operations in developed
western countries and to recruit more
local people there as the company
aims for higher-end--and more lucrative--consulting
services. Out of a total workforce
of around 88,000, Wipro currently
employs around 6,500 staff in Europe
(including the United Kindom) and
28 percent of those are local Europeans
and the goal is to increase this ratio.
Courtesy:
www.zdnetasia.com, March 25, 2008
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'India
will be 2nd largest mobile phone market'
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India
is set to emerge as the second largest
mobile phone market in the world after
China in April with the subscriber
base already crossing the 250-million
mark, the country's telecom regulator
said in a report on Monday. China
and the US have 550.50 million and
260.50 million subscribers for mobile
phone services at present, against
250.93 million for India, as per the
study released by the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI). Â"It may
also be noted that India is likely
to become second largest wireless
network in the world after China in
the first half of April 2008,Â" the
study said, adding 8.49 million new
subscribers joined the network in
February, 2008. Further, India's wireless
subscriber base in the first half
of April 2008 will surpass that of
the US and will become the second
in the world. Not only this, the total
subscriber base of India will also
cross 300 million mark in April 2008.
This, the report said, was in spite
of a slight decrease in the wire-line
base to 39.18 million subscribers
in February, 2008 against 39.22 million
subscribers in January this year.
The report also said that the country's
telephone density had increased to
25.31 per cent in February, against
24.63 per cent in the month of January,
thus crossing the 25 per cent landmark
for the first time ever. In 1990,
India's tele-density was a mere 0.65
per cent - the same as China's.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 25,
2008
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Indian
entertainment industry to grow over
16 pc
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Indian
Entertainment and Media (E&M) industry
is poised to grow at an annual rate
of 16.7 per cent by 2011, faster than
its counterparts in Brazil, Russia
and China, according to a report.
In the other BRIC (Brazil, Russia,
India, China) countries, the E&M industry
is expected to grow at an annual rate
of 13 per cent in China, 8.3 per cent
in Russia and 7.7 per cent in Brazil,
said the report by Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
of India (FICCI) and Price Waterhouse
Coopers (PWC) released in the financial
capital on Tuesday at FICCI-Frames
2008. FICCI-Frames 2008 is a global
annual forum on the business aspects
of the entertainment and media industry.
About 2,000 Indian and 500 foreign
delegates are participating in this
forum, which started on Tuesday and
is on till Thursday in Mumbai. "For
the BRIC countries as a group, growth
will average 9.3 per cent compounded
annually," the report said. "That
expansion will be nearly twice the
4.9 per cent projected annual GDP
(gross domestic product) increase
in the rest of the worldÂ" , it added.
Despite the impressive growth rate,
the size of the Indian E&M industry
would be the smallest among BRIC countries
at USD 27,089 million within the next
three years, the report said. The
industry size would be USD 169,309
million in China, USD 27,851 million
in Russia and USD 27,256 million in
Brazil. BRIC will account for 24 per
cent of global E&M growth during the
next five years, the report said.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 25,
2008
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Shining
Prospects for Indian SMEs
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Copper,
despite being one of humankind’s
most useful and valuable materials,
has yet not received its deserved
position. Its superior properties
such as its benchmark in electrical
and thermal conductivity, without
sacrificing performance and energy
efficiency, make it valuable across
industries and particularly for SMEs.
India needs to conserve all the electrical
power it can, as insufficient power
is one of the biggest infrastructural
bottlenecks in achieving sustained
high economic growth and alleviating
poverty. Furthermore, global climate
change is a concern and it is necessary
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by using energy in the most efficient
way. These objectives can only be
achieved by using copper. SMEs can
look forward to deriving opportunities
from the following long-term drivers
for copper growth in our country:
Building
Construction
Growth
in the construction industry: The
average expected growth of the construction
industry of approximately 7% to 9%
pa will continue to drive the demand
for copper building wires. Improvement
in living standards, on account of
per capita income growth, will increase
the density of copper usage in building
wires as well. New electric connections
in rural areas: The Government of
India has targeted 100% electrification
of all rural houses by 2012. About
138 million (56%) rural houses that
are still deprived will drive additional
growth in the building wire segment.
Growth in tele-density & IT industry:
The Government, by allowing Foreign
Direct Investment in the sector ranging
from 49% to 100%, has accelerated
the tele-density from 0.4% to 9% in
the span of the last 10 years. The
tele-density and broadband connectivity
of 10 million subscribers (targeted)
will create a huge opportunity for
copper in the last mile in the form
of structured wiring and coaxial cables
in India. Cooking Gas: Due to discoveries
of large natural gas deposits within
the country, the Government is pursuing
a policy of substitution of Liquefied
Petroleum Gas which is imported. With
this, the method of delivery would
change from cylinders to piping giving
opportunities for copper tubes in
the last mile.
Courtesy:
www.economictimes.indiatimes.com,
March 25, 2008
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India,
China set for USD 60 bn bilateral
trade by 2010
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India
and China, the two fastest growing
economies in the world, are set to
achieve a bilateral trade target of
60 billion dollars by 2010 despite
the Indian industry becoming wary
of signing a free trade agreement
with the neighbouring economic giant.
China's Ambassador to India, Zhang
Yan, on Monday said that the Chinese
government would provide full support
towards realising the target for bilateral
trade, which is increasing by 50 per
cent per annum. Yan said that the
bilateral trade between the two countries
was in order of 38 billion dollars
last year. "People are stressing that
India and China are the future of
the world economy," said the Chinese
Ambassador, adding that both India
and China are facing unique opportunity
to strengthen themselves economically.
While the two governments have set
the 60 billion dollars trade target
for the next three years, a study
by the Federation of Indian Micro
and Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME)
indicated that it would surpass it
and reach the 100 billion dollars
mark by 2010. However, Associated
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
of India (ASSOCHAM) has said that
the government should adopt an "extremely
cautious approach" before signing
a Free Trade Agreement with China,
as the resultant tariff cuts will
see the Chinese goods flood Indian
markets. Suggesting that the government
undertake a comprehensive consultation
process with Indian industry, the
chamber prescribed a minimum period
of five years before the two countries
finalise the FTA. FISME's study -
'Business opportunities for Indian
SMEs in China' identified about 100
products, which has wide scope of
exports to China. As per the study,
there is huge potential in the areas
such as textiles, apparels, leather
and chemicals.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, March 25,
2008
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N-E
could be largest rubber producing
region
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India's
North-East has the potential to transform
itself into the world's largest natural
rubber producing region and the country's
second rubber-based industrial park
is being set up in Tripura to boost
the industry. An estimated 60,000
hectares of land is now under rubber
cultivation and in the next five years
the area under the liquid gold cultivation
would be doubled. Mr Peter said India,
Thailand and Vietnam are among the
largest natural rubber producing countries,
and India tops the list in terms of
productivity. The board is now celebrating
the golden jubilee of rubber cultivation
in India. Seminars, workshops and
numerous other programmes are being
held across the country. Small growers
in the past 50 years have contributed
to an overall production of 852,895
tonnes. The annual productivity has
increased from only 333 kg to 1,879
kg per hectare, which is the highest
productivity in the world, the Rubber
Board chief said while addressing
a seminar here. The Union cabinet
earlier approved a Rs 4.13 billion
scheme for re-plantation and fresh
cultivation of rubber in the non-traditional
areas, mainly in the northeastern
states. An assessment made by the
Rubber Board indicates that rubber
could be cultivated in about 450,000
hectares in the seven northeastern
states, mostly in Tripura, Assam,
Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
Tripura is the second largest rubber
producer in the country after Kerala
with 40,000 hectares of land so far
brought under rubber cultivation.
According to the Rubber Board and
the National Bureau of Soil Survey
and Land Use Planning, an area of
100,000 hectares is suitable for rubber
plantations in Tripura. To boost the
industry, India's second rubber-based
industrial park is being set up in
Tripura to bring about a natural revolution
in the elastic polymer industry. The
rubber park, a joint venture between
the Tripura Industrial Development
Corporation (TIDC) and the Rubber
Board, is the second of its kind in
the country after the rubber park
at Irapuram in Kerala, where over
520,000 hectares are now under cultivation.
Infrastructure Leasing and Financial
Services (ILFS) is the project management
agency of the park, where at least
20 rubber-based industrial projects
would be set up within the next three
years. The rubber park is to be built
in an area of 50 acres of land in
the Bodhjunjnagar industrial growth
centre in western Tripura and over
Rs 500 million are expected to be
invested in the park over a period
of three years, said Mr Pabitra Kar,
chairman of the TIDC. Mr Kar, a rubber
garden owner, demanded further strengthening
of the official machinery of the Rubber
Board in the North-East region.
Courtesy:
www.navhindtimes.com, March 25, 2008
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'India
may transform global business landscape
by 2018'
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India,
along with emerging market peers China,
Brazil and Russia, is expected to
transform the global business landscape
and will have a greater influence
on the markets across the world by
2018, a study says. The study by UK-based
Chartered Management Institute looking
ahead to 2018, predicted what the
world of work and management would
look like and examined how organisations
can prepare for it. "In the probable
future, Brazil, Russia, India and
China (BRIC) nations will have a greater
influence on business markets and
transform the business landscape,"
the study said in its description
of the most probable picture of the
world of work and management in 2018.
The study also revealed that the business
markets would be noticeably influenced
by new players from India, Brazil,
Russia, China, Eastern Europe and
other developing countries as well
as global businesses. As new business
models are introduced to respond to
these changes, there would arise the
need for greater emphasis on new skills
such as understanding diversity and
foreign cultures. The study titled
'Management Futures --The World in
2018' forecast that in the next 10
years the business models and structures
would changes in nature and there
would be a polarisation from global
corporates to virtual community-based
enterprises. To succeed, organisations
would need technology that is able
to capture and analyse implicit and
tacit knowledge and allow the sharing
of knowledge with customers and partners,
it said. The study also highlighted
that organisations would have to be
increasingly knowledgeable about world
markets as financial affairs and interconnections
between seemingly independent events
may have a dramatic effect on their
business. Interestingly, as the developing
and emerging nations grow economically
strong in the global business arena,
immigrants would choose to stay in
or go back to their own countries
and could lead to shrinking of workforce
in the Western world. The report also
gave a scenario in case the picture
does not remain rosy by the next 10
years, it could deflate the boom in
the business market. If the economy
of China or India collapses due to
social unrest among minorities and
in parallel through pockets of war,
for example in Iran, Pakistan, India,
China, Taiwan, the business market
could shrink suddenly and dramatically
as business in these countries would
become unstable, the report added.
The study combined with a survey of
over 1,000 senior executives, would
be used to help business leaders in
the sector understand what needs to
be done, today, to prepare for tomorrow.
"Looking ahead 10 years, it is clear
that the successful organisations
will be to those who can do more than
embrace change - they will anticipate,
identify and drive it," Chartered
Management Institute chief executive
Mary Chapman said. "Of course, we
cannot determine the future, but that
does not mean we shouldn't forecast
and prepare for it to ensure that
organisations and teams are effective,
capable and competitive," he added.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, March
23, 2008
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New
mineral policy to attract foreign
investments cleared
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The
cabinet Thursday cleared a new mineral
policy that is expected to attract
foreign investment to the tune of
$250 million a year in the mining
sector. 'An amendment bill will be
introduced during the budget session
of parliament to bring about a suitable
amendment in the Mines and Minerals
(Development and regulation Act 1957),
the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960
and Mineral Conservation and Development
Rules, 1988, to give effect to the
new National Mineral Policy 2008,'
Principal Information Officer Deepak
Sandhu told reporters after the cabinet
meeting. The policy has taken into
cognisance key recommendations made
by a Group of Ministers (GoM) set
up by the government to look into
the matter. The key concerns of mineral-rich
states like Jharkhand, Orissa and
Chhattisgarh have also been accommodated
while finalising the new policy.
Courtesy:
www.indiaenews.com, March 14, 2008
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Vedanta
to invest Rs 20,000 cr in state's
aluminium sector
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Following
the footsteps of the Tatas and the
Jindals, the Vedanta Aluminium Limited,
an unit of Vedanta Resources, today
decided to invest an amount of Rs
20,000 crore (US $ 5 billion) in the
state. A 6.5 lakh tonne per annum
aluminium smelter and a 3,000 MW power
plant with an employment generating
capacity for 2,500 people will be
set up in the Bidhanbag area of Assansol.
This incidentally will be the first
major investment in the aluminium
sector of the state. An agreement
in this regard was signed between
West Bengal Industrial Development
Corporation and Vedanta Aluminium
Limited. Speaking at the memorandum
of agreement (MoA) signing ceremony,
chief minister Budddhadeb Bhattacharjee
while welcoming the Vedanta Aluminium
Limited said: "We need to create jobs
opportunities here in the state, and
this investment is a part of the process."
He even added a Metal Park in the
area to facilitate downstream projects
has also been proposed and will be
set up by the Vedanta Aluminium Limited
after the smeltering and power plants
become operational. The Metal Park
will help in developing downstream
projects that are dependent on the
usage of aluminium. As per the initial
plans, the smeltering and the power
plants will be set up over a space
of the 1000 acre and will become operational
within three years from the signing
of the MoA. "We already have 270 acres
of land and the rest will be provided
to us by the state government," said
Mr Anil Agarwal, chairman, Vedanta
Resources. The 3000 MW Power Plant
will be completed in two phases of
1500 MW each. Meanwhile, state industries
minister, Mr Nirupam Sen said that
the state government was looking after
the procurement of land that was necessary
for facilitating the Vedanta Aluminium
Limited.
Courtesy:
www.thestatesman.net, March 14, 2008
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Tata
Motors to raise dollar1 bn for its
projects
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According
to official sources automobile giant,
Tata Motors pappropriate securities
in the foreign and domestic markets
to finance its various future projects.
The funds to be raised will be over
and above the Rs 10,000 to Rs12,000
crlans to raise one billion dollars
or Rs 4,000 crores by issuing ore
capital expenditure or capex plan
announced earlier by the company for
increasing capacity and launching
new products in Indian and overseas
markets.
Courtesy:
www.yahoo.com, March 13, 2008
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Women
on top of B-school pay ladder
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Finally,
salaries in India may be becoming
gender-blind. Both the leading B-schools
in Delhi have an interesting trend
to show this year in the placements:
in terms of average salaries, women
have overshot their male counterparts.
While Faculty of Management Studies
(FMS) has women getting Rs 15.49 lakh
- on average - as starting salaries,
as against Rs 14.9 lakh for men, Indian
Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)
claims to have a similar scenario.
Incidentally, at both institutes,
the second highest domestic package
has gone to women, Rs 25.5 lakh per
annum in FMS and Rs 22 lakh per annum
in IIFT. Both figures are only marginally
lower than the highest package offered:
Rs 26 lakh in FMS and Rs 25 lakh in
IIFT. What's really encouraging, however,
is the kind of profiles that have
been offered to these women managers.
Said Prof K Mamkoottam of FMS, "Unlike
earlier, when women would typically
be picked for soft positions like
relationship managers, this time,
hardcore finance portfolios have been
offered. Obviously, the better jobs
are going to the women." Seema Rao
and Shirsha Ganguly would agree. Both
have got the second highest domestic
packages in their respective B-schools
- FMS and IIFT - and been given job
profiles that have left their fellow
male students feeling the heat of
competition. They are not the only
ones. At FMS, Accenture picked up
women for all its positions, while
MTV opted to offer two of its three
job profiles to the fairer gender.
Other companies include HDFC, P&G,
Lehman Brothers and Sharaf Group from
Dubai. The story was repeated in IIFT,
where companies opted for gender-sensitive
recruitment. Said Shirsha Ganguly
of IIFT, "The offer is really exciting
since the job profile is just what
I was looking for." Ganguly, who will
go to work for Lehman Brothers, acknowledges
that the women have done "quite" well
in the placements. Mamkoottam adds,
"It's not only in placements that
the girls have outperformed. Even
in the academic scenario, they've
done excellently." He points to the
outstanding performance of the three
rank-holders for this year's MBA batch,
all of whom are women. "That's a first
in the history of FMS," exults Mamkoottam.
At IIFT, the placements have brought
more cheer as the number of women
in the batches is really low. Said
a student coordinator, "There are
only 13 girls as opposed to 80 boys
in the final year. Yet all the girls
have done very well, with excellent
job profiles." It's a feat that they
hope will be repeated in the coming
years as well. That may be the best
news yet.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, Mar
13, 2008
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India
to remain promising hiring destination
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Indian
employees are largely flexible in
picking locations of work, even as
the job market at home continues grow
at a robust pace, according to surveys
conducted by two leading consulting
and staffing firms. The findings underscore
as much the changes in workplace preferences
of Indian employees in a fast globalising
environment as the positive outlook
among employers. About 37 per cent
Indian employers surveyed by HR consulting
firm Manpower are expected to increase
their staff through the April-June
quarter, while only 1 per cent expect
a downsizing and the rest expect no
change. The survey covered 5,279 Indian
employers. Manpower's Net Employment
Outlook rate for the upcoming quarter
- the difference between the percentage
of employers positive about hiring
and those with no plans to hire -
has improved by 5 percentage points
from the same period a year ago. The
outlook is, however, somewhat subdued
compared to the preceding January-March
quarter. Still, "India will continue
to be a promising hiring destination,"
Naresh Malhan, Managing Director,
Manpower India told Hindustan Times.Manpower
surveyed 55,000 employers across 32
countries and India came second after
Singapore among hottest destinations
for job seekers. "Compared from last
year, sectors like finance, insurance,
real estate, mining and construction,
the services sector, transportation
and utilities look promising in terms
of job opportunities," said Malhan.
Amongst the sectors, mining and construction
sectors continue to be the one with
maximum possible jobs indicating a
42 per cent hiring outlook followed
by the services sector (the BPO and
Information Technology Enabled services
companies). Surprisingly, retail trade
doesn't indicate a very positive hiring
and this could be attributed to the
delayed rollouts and other challenges
that the industry has faced last year,
Malhan added. In terms of regional
hiring within India, southern-based
employers were most upbeat about prospects.
In the north, there is a five per
cent decline in the outlook. Meanwhile,
a separate survey by consulting and
staffing firm Kelly services showed
an overwhelming majority of Indians
are willing to relocate to a different
city or country for better career
opportunities. Kelly's worldwide survey
covered 115,000 people across 33 countries,
including 3,000 from India. About
79 per cent of the Indians surveyed
are willing to relocate to a different
city for work. Further, about 78 per
cent respondents expressed that they
could move to a different country
also in case their work required.
Courtesy:
www.yahoo.com, March 12, 2008
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India
2nd most optimistic in hiring intention
globally: Survey
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India
has emerged as the second most optimistic
nation in the world in terms of employment
outlook, with 36 per cent of employers
having positive hiring plans for the
April-June quarter this year, says
a survey. Among the 32 countries and
territories surveyed globally this
quarter, hiring intentions among Indians
employers continue to be the most
optimistic with an overall net employment
outlook of 36 per cent, the latest
'Manpower Employment Outlook Survey'
said. "In terms of hiring prospects
for the April-June period, Indian
employers are the second most optimistic
in the world, next only to Singapore.
Further, India shares the second place
with Peru and Romania. The sentiments
of employers are buoyant...," Manpower's
Managing Director Naresh Malhan said.
In the Asia Pacific region, employers
in Singapore are the most optimistic
with a net employment outlook of 60
per cent, followed by India (36 per
cent), while employers in China reported
the weakest hiring forecast in the
region, for the third consecutive
quarter. However, India's outlook
represents a moderate decrease of
six percentage points in comparison
with the first quarter of 2008 but
has recorded a year-on-year increase
of five percentage points. Mining
and construction sector witnessed
the most optimistic outlook of 47
per cent, while employers in the public
administration, education, wholesale
and retail trade sectors reported
the least robust outlooks. "Employers
in this sector predict the strongest
hiring plans among all industry sectors
surveyed because of ongoing public
and private investments in infrastructure
sector," Malhan added.
Courtesy:
www.hindu.com, March 11, 2008
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India
will be 90 percent of US economy by
2050: PWC
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The
$1-trillion Indian economy would be
90 percent the size of th | |
