IT, ITeS firms tap govt job bureaus

AHMEDABAD: Guess where the state’s IT/ITeS industry is looking for trained hands? With the demand for manpower in this fast-growing sector shooting up, the industry is getting support from an unexpected quarter -- government employment exchanges.

Not just blue-collar jobs, the exchanges are now delivering white-collar professionals to the industry. These include suggesting candidates for positions like BPO executives and computer operators. The industry, which is facing a high attrition rate, is employing manpower from the local employment exchange.

Seven companies in Ahmedabad have around 375 vacancies. These include IT companies and BPOs like Motif India, Jurascape Research, Visual infotech, Voicetel, Pagepoint, Mangalam and M-Source.

The companies have notified the government about vacancies for computer operators, BPO executives, centre associates, medical transcriptionist to name a few. Senior company executives say they don’t mind employing from these exchanges provided they get good candidates.

One such BPO who has notified the government with the openings for computer operators said that they are following the law of land. “We have to notify the government as it is the law of the land. But we don’t mind if we get quality people from these exchanges,” says Nirja Sharma, head of HR at Motif India. The company has its centres in the US and Manila.

The exchanges are confident of delivering to the industry requirements. “We are trying our level best to provide these companies with good quality candidates. In fact we are planning to train them,” says AM Malwade, deputy director, Employment and Training Exchange Gujarat. The private HR consultants feel that it is a good model and can work successfully.