Fewer firms sign-up for IIT campus placements this year

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which open their doors to recruiters today (December 1), are likely to witness a damp placement season as fewer firms

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which open their doors to recruiters today (December 1), are likely to witness a damp placement season as fewer firms have shown interest this year.

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At IIT-Bombay (IIT-B), more than 300 companies have signed up for recruitment in the first phase, a drop from the 364 companies that recruited in the same period last year. Of these, 80 companies will visit the campus on Day 1 and 2.

Only one government agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has made seven offers at IIT-B this year. Last year, six government agencies had recruited 17 students.

By the first week of November, barely 100 companies had registered with the placement cell of IIT Madras, whereas last year, 181 companies were on campus offering jobs in the first phase of placements.

However, according to the officials, the numbers will pick up during the first phase of the season between December 1 and 15.

“The number will add up once the process begins, so we won’t know the final count of companies registered till the end of the placement season,” said a spokesperson for IIT-M.

Placement officials are hopeful of higher pay packages this year, with sources suggesting that Microsoft and Uber, the only two companies offering crore-plus pay packages last year, will up their offers this year. At IIT-B, California-based cloud computing company Salesforce.com is likely to be the top payer with offers around ₹1.5 crore, said sources.

“Many new companies and start-ups have approached IITs for the placement season this year and the job profiles seem to be more experimental. We are witnessing an average hike in salaries in pre-placement offers,” said a spokesperson for IIT Roorkee.

With inputs from Shreya Bhandary