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IT may see 1 lakh job cuts by Sept

April 27th, 2009

NEW DELHI: The Indian IT services sector may see up to five per cent layoffs — amounting to more than one lakh job cuts — over the next six mo
nths as companies focus more on cost-cutting due to persisting weakness in global demand, experts say.

Companies may reduce workforce in this fiscal, mostly based on stringent performance criteria, experts added.

“We expect the knowledge industry (IT) to see 3-5 per cent non-voluntary exits in the first two quarters of the financial year mainly in senior and middle levels,” Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Senior Director (Management Consultancy Services) P Thiruvengadam said.

Given the fact that more than 22 lakh people work in the IT industry, five per cent non-voluntary exits would mean more than one lakh employees being shown the door by September.

Nasscom estimates more than 22 lakh people were working in the Indian IT-BPO sector in FY2009 (till February), while indirect job creation is estimated at about eight million.

International Management Institute (IMI) Director C S Venkata Ratnam said, “The IT sector is better off but it may see up to 4-5 per cent job losses in the first two quarters of this fiscal.”

The global financial turmoil has also hit the country’s other export-related sectors including textiles and some unorganised industries like auto ancillaries, Venkata Ratnam said.

Besides, IT services (including engineering services, R&D, software products) exports, BPO exports and the domestic IT industry provide direct employment to 9,47,000, 7,90,000 and 5,00,000 people, respectively, Nasscom says.

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