The Hindu Business Line : Advantage young Indian workforce

MS M. NAGARANI, Associate Professor, Institute for Financial Management and Research, addressing a meeting organised by the Business Line Club at the Velammal College of Management and Computer Studies (VCMCS) in Chennai. Others (from left) are Dr C. Rathnasabhapathy, Principal, Velammal Engineering College, Mr M.V. Muthuramalingam, Chairman, Velammal Educational Trust and Mr S. V. Devanathan, Director, VCMCS.

Chennai , April 18

"The workforce is ageing in the US and Europe. The largest, youngest workforce of India is the best in the world. Our English language and communication abilities are other factors that make India the hot spot for global human resources requirements," said Ms M. Nagarani, Associate Professor, Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai at the one-day workshop on `IT & HR Opportunities and Challenges' sponsored by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi and organised by the MBA & MCA Departments of Velammal College of Management and Computer Studies (VCMCS) and Business Line Club.

Elaborating, she said, "The primary source of competitive advantage is knowledge and that is people. The earlier advantages such as innovation, quality and distribution have been lost."

It was only during the Great Depression in the early decades of the 20th century that the HR profession assumed significance. Investigative journalism exposed wrong company policies and poor treatment of employees, Ms Nagarani added.

Mr C. Venugopal, Joint Managing Director, Krysalis Consultancy Services, Chennai said, "In the manufacturing sector value is created by machines with people aiding the process. The productivity of the plant is more a factor of the technology adopted than that of the people per se. But unlike machines, human beings are complex. They behave differently at different times, are highly influenced by emotions and require skilled handling. This is the HR challenge in the services industry."

Mentioning agitations by the IBM trade union against outsourcing of work to Infosys, Mr S.V. Devanathan, Director, VCMCS, said that in Bangalore and Hyderabad, an IT professionals' forum had been launched. However, the association does not want to describe itself as a trade union of workers but as a forum of IT professionals. As the competitive environment becomes increasingly hostile, strong brand building will be required to survive and thrive. Brands have become strategic assets and often, a company's primary competitive advantage to attract the best human resources available, said Mr Nixon Leonard Victor, Head-Delivery (OPD), ISG Novasoft Pvt Ltd, Chennai.

Inaugurating the workshop, Mr M.V. Muthuramalingam, Chairman of Velammal Educational Trust, quoting media reports, said there were not enough qualified people to fill vacancies. The other resource persons for the one-day workshop were Mr S. Rajasekar of Ramco Systems who spoke on Enterprise Resource Planning in human resources management services and Mr A.T. Arumugam, Director (HR and Finance), Orange Software India Pvt Ltd, Chennai, who spoke on `IT and HR — A Perspective'. The Principal of Velammal Engineering College delivered the special address and nearly 300 people attended the workshop including more than 100 delegates from various city colleges.

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