Is ITES the key area of focus for manpower in India? What percentage of your business comes from this one sector?
You are right. ITES is one of the key sectors for Manpower in India, the other being contract staffing. While the growth rate of our ITES business is commendable, it still contributes a relatively smaller chunk of the revenues than is expected to come in by December 2004.
However, ITES is not a new business for Manpower. Globally, we have been delivering staffing solutions to ITES clients for over two decades; long before the Indian ITES or even IT sectors came into the limelight.
How fast is the temp market growing in India? Here people hang on to the socialist mindset of “job-security?” How do you counter this mindset?
Contract employment, as a short or long-term career option, is gaining wider acceptance and we have statistics to vouch for it. Mindsets are difficult to change; therefore, it requires a lot of effort to steer the market to a positive direction. Historically, employers have given a raw deal to the contractual staff. This has, however, been brought under check by appropriate laws.
Today, even as the staff move from one contract to another, there is consistency in service.
We believe that people working on contract have to be even more productive because employers expect them to hit the ground running. Manpower, therefore, offers its candidates over 2,000 free online training programmes through our direct training programme, the Global Learning Centre (GLC). These courses are available 24/7 and are free for Manpower candidates.
How easy or difficult is it for a temporary worker to later move on to permanent employment with a company?
Once our candidates take up contract positions, they get the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and commitment in a real work situation. Further, quarterly performance reviews by Manpower, in consultation with their line manager, reinforce the candidate’s performance, suitability and cultural fit for that organisation. Sometimes an opportunity presents itself whereby this candidate has a better chance of being absorbed as a permanent employee within the same company.
How easy or difficult is it for a temporary worker to later move on to permanent employment with a company?
Once our candidates take up contract positions, they get the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and commitment in a real work situation. Further, quarterly performance reviews by Manpower, in consultation with their line manager, reinforce the candidate’s performance, suitability and cultural fit for that organisation. Sometimes an opportunity presents itself whereby this candidate has a better chance of being absorbed as a permanent employee within the same company.
What in your opinion is the key feature of an Indian ITES worker?
The profile of a typical ITES worker is evolving, and market dynamics will play a key role in the transformation. Currently, fresh graduates form the bulk of the workforce in the ITES sector.
As the urban markets get saturated, companies and recruiters would begin casting their net wider to cover towns and semi-urban areas, but the aim is still to target fresh graduates.
Hence, an ITES worker is one who’s recently passed out of college; is single and living with parents; is well aware of trends in the market; looks at ITES as the fastest route to employment in a high-profile sector; likes the money (at times it’s a quantum jump in pocket money, since there are no other household expenses to worry about); and is impatient about career growth.
MIT had posted all its courseware on the Net to be available free-of-cost to anyone interested in it. Why did Manpower favour that model? And, what's been the response to it so far?
Training courses commonly available in the market are so exorbitantly priced, it puts them out of reach of most candidates. Access to GLC thus creates a level playing ground for candidates.
What ITES skills are currently in hot demand?
These include: Technical Help Desk: It requires skills in networking, hardware, systems administration as well as good speed on keyboard (typing skills).
Voice Processes: The industry is in short supply of fresh graduates who have an excellent command over English (written and oral).
Financial back-office processes: Strong skills in data entry, accounting principles, banking procedures, eye for detail.