The Hindu Business Line : Cos going slow on lateral hires

Bangalore, Oct.22 The HR departments of IT companies across all levels have been asked to go slow on hiring laterals for the coming quarter. According to HR sources, talent acquisition at large companies is now only for ‘critical positions,’ and ‘not done unless absolutely necessary.’

When asked to comment on the near-freeze situation, Mr Pradeep Bahirwani, Vice-President, Talent Acquisition, Wipro Technologies, said, “We’re hiring as per business requirements. But we are trying to squeeze everything out of the bench.”

Dr Pallab Bandyopadhyay, Vice-President & Head, HR – Asia Pacific, Perot Systems, agrees that the industry has slowed down lateral recruitment by about 20 per cent. “But at Perot, currently we have 300 positions to fill,” he says.

Large companies such as Infosys have put the brakes on lateral hiring because of their exposure to the financial sector, says Mr Rishi Das, CEO, CareerNet Consulting. In his opinion, the situation is of a mixed nature in the IT sector. “There is about 30 per cent slowdown in certain large companies, but mid-sized companies such as Symphony Services, MindTree and Sasken are still hiring about 150-200 people per month.”

Most IT companies are now trying to do more with less, says Mr Gautam Sinha, CEO, TVA Infotech. In his opinion, though there are no signs of slowdown in work, companies are, however, slamming the brakes on hiring in anticipation of less work in two-three months. Candidates too are tentative about a job change in such a scenario, says Ms Nirupama V.G., Managing Director, Ad Astra Consultants. Interestingly, candidates are more willing to look at Indian companies now, according to her. “But they are clear about not opting for jobs in start-ups,” says Mr Das of CareerNet.

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