Return of the Native

he 2001 tech crash has divested US of its image as a hip, hep and happening tech destination. Clobbered by the downturn, the once invincible tech sector has ruthlessly slashed jobs and scaled down growth projections. Optimists labeled 2002 as the year of the rebound, but if somber statements of tech leaders at the World Economic Forum are of any worth, the uptick will not take place this year. The prolonged recessionary pall has dimmed the adventurism of many expatriate professionals for Silicon Valley's unique roller coaster jolt of excitement. Contrary to popular perception, the band of professionals who are changing course are not B.Com graduates with toppings of the season's tech flavour but professionals who have worked abroad in the US for years. AssureConsulting.com's Back to India program receives a minimum of five to six queries from techies with a minimum of four years experience in the US. Radhika Vijay , HR Executive at Insight Technologies confirms the turnaround: "90 per cent of the profiles we receive today are from returning Indians."

The global Indian professional's trotternama is folowing the trail of the information highway that surprisingly stops at India. In a dramatic twist to India's tale of brain drain, the tech slump has catapulted India from a country that bodyshopped employees for low-end jobbing in the US to a software subcontinent that can provide high quality service, quick turnaround and big cost savings. Trapped in the worst recession ever, US tech majors are accelerating towards India to take advantage of its enormous cost competitiveness. I2 Technologies, for instance, gave employees a choice between the dreaded pink slip and shifting to India. Many gladly chose the latter. (Read Offshore Dateline: Growing Pains, wed India for the complete list of companies who have shifted operations to India.) According to a recent McKinsey report commissioned by the National Association of Software and Service Companies: India is on the cusp of an offshore wave and by 2008, software and IT services will attract up to $5 billion in foreign direct investment more than the entire Indian economy attracted in 1998. The industry's market capitalisation is expected to rise tenfold, to $225 billion.

From the experienced expat techie's point of view the robust growth of the infotech economy (Over the last three years, the industry has recorded a 45 per cent CAGR ) has transformed India into a hiring juggernaut at a time when sackings are the rule in the US. Confirms Mamata Tyagi, HR Manager at Trigyn Technologies "The rate at which Indian IT industry is still growing, and profits shown by major IT players in India, plans of Indian it firms to venture into new undiscovered markets like Japan, China are few factors which portray India as attractive career destination". For the career smart expatriate, India's tech revolution offers the dual advantage of working in a sophisticated tech environment in a land that's home. Says a software engineer who returned to India after five years and whom Assure placed recently: "Indian professionals with five and six years of experience are not returning on account of the downturn alone. India today has better career opportunities. I moved up the career ladder when I joined my company in India. Besides, as a Senior Technical leader, I am assured of annual trips to the US."

Expatriate professionals are, however, not receiving an unbridled welcome by HR managers of India IT Inc. "I do not think a software engineer has an extra horn on his head because he has returned from the US," bluntly admits Mr. Jayaraman, manager at Gandiva Incorporated. With the glut in the jobseekers' market, employers have the upper hand and are not snapping up these professionals. Most believe that the influx triggered by the tech meltdown could prove to be a short-lived phenomenon. Apart from tech expertise, loyalty is the key factor while hiring expatriate professionals who left when the times were good. Radhika Vijay of Insight Technologies admits that while hiring expatriate professionals: "We confirm that the people we interview have genuine reasons to return to India and would not take off once the US market improves." Between a professional who's stayed in India and an expatriate professional, we would like to hire an Indian with the same skills and experience profile as we are not sure whether the expatriate professional might go back to US once the situation improves."

The exit route from the US has not been slammed but the overseas professionals lured by India needs to reconcile to the fact that India Inc. is no longer enamoured by them. This is reflected in the fact that the returning professional's once legendary negotiating edge with Indian employees have been significantly blunted. The overseas professional's experience is being weighed on the same scale as that of his Indian counterpart and the compensation offered is at par with Indian employees. For the expatriate professional, the return is a humbling experience, but with the fear of layoffs in the US looming large and India's growing attractiveness, as an infotech destination, it's at least safe.

Email this article | Respond to this article