A blue visa could soon be offered to professionals from developing countries like India. This visa is on the lines of the US green card or permanent resident visa, but with a continental touch. The proposal is not yet policy and, according to sources, not likely to be for several years to come; primarily because immigration policies remain the prerogative of individual member states. The UK, for instance, has refused to join this system, even as London launched its own points-based immigration scheme. While many member countries are a bit hesitant about this visa, European industries like construction and IT have welcomed the proposal, because the cost of labour in the EU is prohibitive. For these sectors to be competitive internationally, 20 million skilled workers will be needed over the next 20 years. The EU would open itself to professionally qualified people from developing countries with at least two years of experience, a two- year work contract in an EU country, and a salary at least three times that of the minimum salary in the destination country.

[05 April, 08]

Italian University, Luiss Guido Carli Rome, offers 10 scholarships for Indian students for its master of science in general management, a two year course starting from September 2008. Graduates or those graduating by July 2008 are eligible. The 10 scholarships are divided in three different categories and are intended for the complete duration of the programme. In category A [4 scholarships] there is total exemption of the annual tuition fee of 9,000 lire and the student will get 9,0000 lire per year for living expenses. In category B [3 scholarships] 50% reduction in the annual tuition fee and the student will get 8,000 lire per year for living expenses. In Category C (3 scholarships) the student will get 50% reduction in the annual tuition fee of 9,000 lire. The application form is available on www.luiss.it/internationalization. The selection will be based on the results of a test and personal interview.

[05 April, 08]

The University of Oxford has launched an M.Sc in Modern Chinese studies, just days after launching a master's degree in Contemporary India. The nine-month long course, designed to provide high-quality graduate research training, aims to broaden and deepen understanding of modern China and raise appreciation for the value of various research methods now used in the field of China studies. The programme run by the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies within the Division of Social Sciences, is built around two core courses. One will strengthen the students' research skills and the other will deepen the students' understanding of key readings and theoretical debates in today's study of China. It also offers opportunities for extended study in an area of the student's choice including more-in-depth study of the Chinese language. The programmes are part of the university's response to the recent demand for knowledge in the west on the burgeoning economies of India and China. 

[05 April, 08]

The impression that the British government thinks of immigrants from non-EU countries like India as cash cows has been strengthened by new plans to make immigrants pay higher visa charges to help 'fund public services'. The levy likely to raise an extra 15 million pounds is being dubbed as a trust fund. Last year, the UK Visas Agency raised 190 million pounds from 2.7 million applications. Reports suggest that the additional fee could constitute 10% of the cost of a visa which would be an extra 20 pounds on top of the typical 200 pounds charge for those wishing to stay in the UK beyond six months. The Visitor visa was to be set at 65 pounds. [The British High Commission in India set an exchange rate of Rs 80 for a Pound in February]. If the present plan is implemented all these visas will now cost 20% extra. 

[05 April, 08]

Thousands of would-be spouses of British nationals from the Indian sub continent may be forced to take, and pass English language tests before they are allowed into the UK in a bid to prevent exploitation of foreign brides. Official statistics show that this would potentially affect 20,000 spouses and fiancées from the Indian subcontinent. Nearly 50,000 foreign spouses and fiancées were admitted to the UK in 2006. Till now, non-European migrants were eligible for a passport five years after arrival but the new measures will force them to serve a further probationary period of 1-3 years. They will also have to face more tests to prove their worth. 

[05 April, 08]

Despite evidence of an impending recession in the US, there is expected to be a severe shortage once again of US visas for Indian IT professionals in the coming year. April is the date to begin filing H-IB cases[for entry into the US from October 1], and IT companies are already scurrying to put together all documents in the expectation that the entire H-IB quota will be exhausted on the very first day, as it did last year. For the 58,200 H-IB quota, the US received 1.20 lakh petitions on April 02, 2007 the first day the quota opened last year. Meanwhile, the demand for IT services has not faced a significant cut yet. So a visa shortage is inevitable. To overcome this problem, domestic companies are currently busy checking out alternative options like L visa (meant for intra-company transfer], J visa (for specialists/ domain experts) and B (Business) category visas. 

[05 April, 08]

The periodic flap over the H1-B visas issue is set to blow up again in an election season after latest figures show Indian companies accounted for nearly 80% of the visa petitions approved in 2007 for the top 10 participants in the programme. Infosys and Wipro top the list of visa beneficiaries in 2007 with 4,559 and 2,567 approved visa petitions respectively according to data from the US Citizenship & Immigration Services. Indian industry counters this on the grounds that this just an outcome of globalization in a 24/7 flat world where distances are shrinking and boundaries breaking down. If the US does not allow skilled foreign workers into the country, American business will suffer and American jobs will migrate abroad in any case because of local skills shortage and cost factors. US will begin accepting H1-B visas on April 01 for the next fiscal year, which begins October 01. Last year, US received 123,480 visa petitions in two days, more than double the 65,000 cap. Companies receiving visas were randomly picked by USCIS via a computerized lottery. 

[05 April, 08]

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will start accepting applications for temporary skilled worker [H-1B] visas from April 1 for the FY 2009 beginning October 01. As in the past couple of years, it is expected that the annual quota of H-1B visas will be exhausted on the first day itself. At present, the quota is 65,000 visas a year. Of this, 6,800 visas are set aside for Chile and Singapore as per their trade agreements with the US. This leaves 58,200 H-1B visas for applicants from the rest of the world. 

[5 March, 08 ET].

In an order that would benefit a large number of Armed Forces personnel, the Supreme Court has ruled that disabled soldiers who opt for pre-mature retirement at their own request are entitled to disability pension. Defence personnel with disabilities attributable to or aggravated by military service are eligible for a disability pension. The government however, had been refusing payment of disability pension to personnel who had left the forces voluntarily. The reason cited being that such personnel were technically not deemed to have been labelled invalid when out of service. 

[05 April, 08]

The union budget has given a hike of 17% to higher studies and 20% to elementary and secondary schooling. But the biggest gainer is the University Grants Commission with a 36% hike for creating 16 new Central Universities. The Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan has received Rs 13,000 crore. The mid-day meal scheme has got a Rs 8,000 crore boost. And the promise of 6,000 model schools comes with a Rs 650 crore allocation. 

There is a move to introduce pre-primary education in government schools, scholarships for higher education as well as science education. A slew of scholarships have been announced to check dropout rates. There would be a central scheme to extend scholarships to at least 2% of students passing out of schools for pursuing higher education in colleges and universities. Students from Classes IX - XII will also get scholarships from the next financial year for which Rs 750 crore has been earmarked. 

[05 April, 08]

The National Council of Education Research & Training [NCERT] has made some efforts in the direction of revamping primary education. The exercise carried out under National Curriculum Framework [NCF] has made a significant shift towards creating a constructive paradigm in school education for teaching and learning. Suitable modifications have been made to developing textbooks, classroom transaction and student assessment. New syllabi have been developed on the recommendations of NCF-2005 and Focus Group papers on different subjects. The new textbooks are more child-friendly and the content more child-centered to provide space to the child to explore knowledge. It would encourage children to move from rote to creative learning. 

[05 April, 08]

Industry body FICCI has proposed an overhaul of regulatory framework for technical education in India in order to ensure delivery of quality higher education. In a paper on regulatory framework for technical education, the chamber has sought the dissolution of All India Council for Technical Education [AICTE] and setting up an autonomous regulatory authority as recommended by the National Knowledge Commission. The role of such a regular authority should be limited to regulate public, private-aided and unaided institutions at the initial stages with 'minimum prescriptions' 'and flexible norms' to begin with. Further, institutions with credible reputation over a period of 5 years should be given the autonomous status. AICTE has not been able to manage the multiple functions to the satisfaction of its constituents, and has become virtually synonymous with granting approvals or licenses to a new applicant. The government should facilitate self-financing higher education institutions to set up campuses without any entry-barriers, on the lines of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and the Great Lake Institute of Management, Chennai. 

[3 March, 08, ET].

Education provided by schools to children of teachers and staff members which is normally free, may now come at a price with the ITAT ruling that management should include all direct and indirect costs while assigning a notional value to such a benefit. The issue assumes significance because if the cost or perquisite value exceeds Rs 1,000 per month per child, then the entire amount must be added and taxed as a perquisite in the hands of the employee. It further clarified that school management can assign the cost [perquisite value] of providing free education on the basis of actual expenditure incurred by the management. 

[05 April, 08]

As the oil sector has opened up to private players in a big way, public sector giants like the ONGC are facing a severe shortage of skilled manpower. In fact, the crunch in the availability of efficient technical hands in the oil industry is a global phenomenon and many countries look up to India for a steady supply of skilled young professionals. The public sector giants in the country have emerged as a favorite training academy of sorts. A young entry-level hand is trained for not less than five years. Besides private Indian companies, multinationals based in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Britain and Malaysia have regularly poached on the oil PSUs in India. The private companies offer packages in the range of Rs 25 - 50 lakh annually. Besides the monetary factor, a professional and healthy work environment in the MNCs has resulted in the large scale migration of skilled workers from the PSUs. 

[05 April, 08]

Logging on to a programme of recruitment, a computer giant, Satyam, has opened a new document in the Northern region's academic and professional history. It has chosen 550 engineering students from 33 professional colleges in a single go, providing testimony of the region's emergence as hub of engineering and technical studies. This is, perhaps the first time so many budding IT professionals have been picked up from this part of this region in a single recruitment drive. The selected Bachelor of Technology [B. Tech] and Masters of Computer Application [MCA] students of the 2009 batch belong to Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. They were selected in a placement drive undertaken at Chandigarh Engineering College [CEC] by Satyam Computers one of the top-ranking software companies in the country. The experts were impressed by the technical and other capabilities of the students belonging to this part of the region. 

[05 April, 08]

The Supreme Court has ruled that an employer has the absolute discretion in compulsorily retiring its staff. The courts had no role to play in deciding which among the employees were to be compulsorily retired and who should be allowed to continue in service. The verdict came in a case where a large number of class IV employees who were recruited as peons in the Bihar Rajya Sahakari Bhumi Vikas Bank in 1971, had challenged the bank's decision to terminate their service through compulsory retirement. The bank argued that it was grossly overstaffed as a result of which it was suffering huge losses. It said as against a requirement of 166 peons, 507 had been recruited. It was decided to retire the excessive class IV employees. 

[05 April, 08]

Placement season kicked off for graduates of the Indian School of Business [ISB] Hyderabad. Top companies from various sectors participated in the process to recruit 425 students of 2008 batch at the premier institute. An interesting trend this year is that real estate and health care companies, both from India and abroad are recruiting students for senior roles. ISB placements attract a healthy mix of large business groups as well as niche players across industries. Companies from retail, realty, finance, health care, investment banking, hospitality, pharma, insurance, reinsurance, airline and media participated in the placements. 

[05 April, 08]

Salaries of corporate employees in India rose 15.1% last year, and the realty business handed out the biggest raises leaving behind the outsourcing sector that has been known for the most generous pay hikes in recent years. This is the fifth straight year in which salaries have registered double-digit growth -- also one of the highest in the world. And the trend is likely to continue through this year, driven by a booming economy and a shortage of talent. The estimates and projections are based on a survey of 600 companies-both Indian and foreign -- across 19 sectors and 22 sub sectors. The study measures actual and projected salary increases, and compensation practices for six specific job categories ranging from manual workforce to top executive. In 2007, salaries in the real-estate sector increased by 25.2%. IT and BPO sectors offered average pay hikes of 15.4 and 14.1% respectively. Middle management salaries have also started creeping up. This is largely a result of managerial and technical talent in India. The country faces a 26% shortage of leadership talent. 

[05 April, 08]

The overall job market in India looks positive and is expected to generate at least one million jobs this year. The Ma Foi Employment Trends Survey which covered 22 sectors as of December 2007, predicts a 3% increase in employment this year. Hospitality and healthcare are the top segments this year. The survey was conducted in 2006 units spanning industry segments across the country. In terms of employment generation, the hospitality sector leads the pack. It is expected to create 426,668 jobs. This sector is followed by health care at 295,829 and education training & consultancy at 166,005. Health care shows the highest growth in recruitment at 8.9% followed by IT at 7.3% , ITES at 7.2% and hospitality sector sees maximum recruitment on the back of tourism and increases investments in the sector. An estimated $11.41 billion is expected in the hospitality sector in the next two years. The boom in the tourism industry has had a cascading effect on the hospitality sector, which resulted in an increase in the occupancy ratios and average room rates. 

[05 April, 08]

Employees in India are expected to get the highest salary hike in 2008 globally for the second year in a row as firms lure scarce talent to expand in the world's second fastest growing economy. The latest survey of HR consultancy firm Hewitt Associates show that average pay hike in India moved up from 14.4% in 2006 to 15.1% in 2007. And despite global concerns of an economic slowdown in the US, 2008 is expected to be better with a 15.2% average pay hike in India. The study also hints the country is perhaps at the peak of such fast pay hikes. The average rate of salary increase in India is expected to slow down to 9-10% by 2012. However, some sectors may continue to report double digit pay hikes. 

[05 April, 08]

Tier 2 cities like Hyderabad, Pune and Bhubaneswar are creating more white-collared jobs than the old employment hubs of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore In percentage terms in fact, for every job Delhi has created this year, Hyderabad has created nearly two. The cyber city has witnessed the fastest growth among all cities; from 46,605 new jobs in 2006-07. It is projected to jump to 60,427 new jobs in 2007-08, a rise of 30%. Pune comes second, projected to create 28% more new jobs in 2007-08 as compared to 2006-07. Bhubaneswar sees a growth of 22.1% though its base is smaller than both Hyderabad and Pune. By contrast, in Delhi, new jobs are projected to grow by 17.4%. It does better than Mumbai, however, which is projected to reach only 11.4% growth. Chennai, at 9.5% fares even worse. Health emerged as the sector with the highest growth in recruitment (8.9%), followed by IT (7.3%) and hospitality (6.9%). A million jobs will be created in 2008-09. 

[05 April, 08]

Authorised emigration and manpower recruitment consultants have threatened to wind up their operations in Punjab in case the state enacts the Punjab Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, 2008. Regulation of emigration and working of manpower recruiting agencies is in the domain of the Central government and the states lack legal sanction to enact a law on a subject which is not in their purview. Punjab earns a minimum of Rs 300 crore a year through skilled and unskilled workers legally sent abroad by emigration and recruitment agents. The state should not close this channel on the pretext of controlling unauthorized travel agents in the name of regulating emigration from the state. The police was not aware of the provisions of the Emigration Act, 1983 and always equated with unauthorized travel agents. 

[05 April, 08]

Indian companies are upbeat about their hiring plans. According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for the second quarter [April-June] of 2008, India maintains a steady high rank in the list of countries with the highest employment opportunities globally. Of the 5,279 employers surveyed (in India), 37% expect an increase in staffing levels in the second quarter of 2008, 1% anticipate a decrease and 54% are expecting no change. Of the 32 countries surveyed, Singapore reported the most favourable hiring plans for the second quarter followed by three countries which tied for the second spot namely India, Peru, and Romania. Among the seven industries surveyed in India, the mining and construction sector has shown the most positive hiring intentions. Companies in the IT, ITeS hospitality and healthcare sectors are also optimistic about their hiring plans over the next quarter followed by finance, insurance and real estate. The wholesale and retail trade sector reported the sharpest decline in hiring intentions. Even the manufacturing sector has scored poorly. South India is the most optimistic on hiring on the back of knowledge-driven industries and the emergence of a strong financial sector. Indian employees are largely flexible in picking locations of work, even as the job market at home continues to grow at a robust pace. The findings underscore as much the changes in workplace preferences of Indian employees in a fast globalizing environment as the positive outlook among employers. About 37% Indian employers surveyed are expected to increase their staff through the April-June quarter while only 1% expect a downsizing and the rest expect no change. 

[05 April, 08]

India's steel industry has initiated a big headhunt for skilled workers and professionals to increase production and meet the growing demand for steel to fuel the country's growth. It would require a large number of skilled workers and professionals and an investment of over $100 billion to build a steel hub spanning the four states of Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. They have taken a big challenge to attract young professionals to join the steel industry. The metallurgy and mechanical engineering courses were not properly managed in many technical institutes. Now efforts are being made to make these courses more attractive which would help retain talent for the steel sector in the days to come. 

[6 March, 08, HT Business].

It is a study in contrast. At a time when top software firms are sacking people and cutting variable payouts, infrastructure companies are doling out huge mid-term increments and poaching people with 40-50% hikes in annual compensation. Huge demand for engineering, procurement and construction professionals has led to 18-20% mid term hikes in infrastructure across-the board. Employee and labour costs have gone up significantly over time, and constitute about 30% of the project cost. With the 25-30% salary hikes being implemented, construction costs will go up further on top of rising input costs. 

Many civil engineers and experienced construction managers are constantly changing jobs or moving overseas, particularly to the Middle East which has traditionally attracted construction engineers from India. 

[05 April, 08]

Physical handicap is no disqualification for a job in the hospitality industry. Moreover, the industry does not insist that physically handicapped should be graduates or have diploma or degrees in hotel management or tourism and hospitality. Even if they are matriculates or have passed class XII and are cut out for hospitality and hotel industry they are given jobs. The major problem facing the rapidly expanding hotel and hospitality industry is an acute shortage of trained staff. The number of good and recognized institutes running various hotel and hospitality courses is very small. Realising that good families do not want their girls to join the hotel industry as receptionists, they were re-designated as guest relation officers. 

[10 March 08, Tribune].

The United Nations has predicted that the real India will continue to live in its rural outbacks for nearly 50 more years. The UN also said that though most countries would see rapid urbanization, India would continue to have the largest rural population in the world until 2050. Though half of the world's 6.7 billion people will start living in cities by the end of this year itself, 55% of India's population (900 million people) will be living in urban areas by 2050. It suggested that rural development must increasingly focus on creating more employment opportunities in the non-farm sector. 

[05 April, 08]

Global BPO giant, Cognizant plans to expand its headcount in India by about 14,700 this year and is broadbasing its talent pool by hiring doctors, lawyers and CAs. The move comes at a time when global giants such as Yahoo and IBM as also some Indian companies are cutting their workforce in the backdrop of wage inflation, rupee rise and economic uncertainties in the US, which have dented their profitability. The Nasdaq-listed outsourcing firm has announced that it plans to add 16,600-19,600 professionals globally in the calendar year 2008 to take its global headcount to 72,000 - 75,000. Cognizant's global headcount at the end of December 2007 was 55,400 which included more than three-fourths [over 41,000] employees in India. The company is also planning to widen its recruiting pool beyond the traditional streams such as engineering, management and science. However, the company is yet to decide on their annual wage hike. 

[05 April, 08]

India's top software firms are carrying their hiring processes to college students who comprise a majority of their talent pool in a language and model that the students readily identify with. Software majors are increasingly tapping the e-route to capture mind share among students. While Cognizant has exclusive blogs and networking forums for potential hires, while Wipro hosts training material on its website. Almost everybody agrees that the key driver behind such e-initiatives is to facilitate industry readiness among students. Some of the typical features one could expect on these campus connect portals are training materials, blogs, alumni forums and career opportunities. These initiatives seem to be more common among service-oriented software companies that hire hundreds of students every year from colleges. 

[05 April, 08]

In the last few years, the IT industry has grown at a pace of around 30% a year. To meet this growth, companies had to cast a very wide net for new employees -- visiting over 300 campuses for hiring. And now, pressure on margins is breaking the linear growth relationship between employee numbers and revenue and a drive towards high-end work is resulting in sacking of non-performers. For instance, in Infosys, where over 30,000 people are hired a year, there will be non-performers who get axed.The larger problem is quality manpower. In tier III colleges the quality is bad and if they don't come up to the mark even after training, they have to be asked to leave. Apart from weeding out the non performers, companies are also looking to reduce bench strength to cut manpower costs. 

[05 April, 08]

Sports sure means mega bucks these days. And not just for star cricketers, footballers and golfers, now even IT companies are betting big on mega sports as a lucrative way fill their kitty. And with the number of events increasing everyday, it sure makes good business. Indian IT giants are aiming for US basketball courts as well as the baseball league. TCS solutions also provided the IT solutions for the car's popular cousin, the Ferrari sports car. Satyam for example is targeting revenues of $100 million by 2010 from the sports vertical alone. At Wipro, sport is a part of the media and entertainment division More specifically, its part of the leisure segment which includes theme parks, and event management etc. 

[05 April, 08]

They are networking sites with a difference. Unlike popular social networking sites where people meet to foster new friendships or search for old ones, these are sites where businesses meet in search of work. Customers log in to outsource jobs, while individuals and businesses [read providers] bid for the work. Outsourcing 2.0 as it is popularly called is being touted as the new wave of outsourcing. Outsourcing 2.0 has small and medium businesses [SMBs] or individuals in India, Indonesia or other low cost destinations. The jobs being outsourced too are basic, non core tasks, like website designing, software programming, payroll, HR, copywriting, PR material, and marketing. The next breed of entrepreneurs in India, US and Europe are using such sites to grow business. 

[05 April, 08]

In Infosys, over 1,200 hand-picked girl students (of semester 4 & 6) from around 400 engineering colleges around the country would be receiving all-for-free gift hampers that contain an enjoyable stay, delicious learning and confidence boosting sessions, workshops on self development, soft-skills, leadership capabilities, analytical and problem solving abilities, inspirational interactions with senior executives, entertainment and campus tours. Their focus is to help more number of women enter the work force, so that they feel included and their socio-economic value is enhanced. The idea is to give them a perspective on the implications and importance of being employed. This gentle gender gesture of Infosys clearly has an underlying objective, to enhance its girl-power. Women currently account for 32% of the company's total employee base of 80,000. On an average, around 30% of techies are women while the percentage is likely to go up to 45% by 2010 as per a recent NASSCOM estimate. 

[05 April, 08]

The importance of English in today's world cannot be denied. But English should not be imparted at the cost of other regional languages. If English has to develop in India, it has to be developed in partnership with other regional languages. India became a preferred destination for business process outsourcing because Indians speak better English than the Chinese or South-Asian counterparts. The importance of English as the language of a growing Indian economy cannot be denied. But since English is not the only language in multi cultural multi lingual India, which has 16 official languages there is a need to respect vernacular languages. It is useful to have English as a second language in schools because it is a passport to the world. 

[05 April, 08]