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Story Dated: Monday,November 28, 2011 18:38 hrs IST

New Delhi: To transform the imigration process, thegovernment Friday promised to provide within a year an electronic platform tolink Indian missions abroad and the concerned authorities to ensure seamlessservice for those heading abroad for jobs.

"Within 52 weeks, we would be able to to provide acommon electronic platform for all concerned in the process of migration,"Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said here.

He was addressing a conference of heads of missions ofthe Gulf region, home to nearly 5 million Indian workers.

"This system would link the e-passport system,migration system, Proctor of Emigration offices and Indian Missions abroad toprovide a seamless service of migration clearance," he said.

Ravi also stressed that the migration process was beingupgraded to ensure orderly migration and to curb unscrupulous agents who oftencheat Indians by promising them greener pastures abroad.

The government has already drafted a new immigrationlaw which will transform the migration process into a simple and transparentmechanism, he said.

Voicing serious concern over reports of harassment andexploitation of Indians in the Gulf region, he underlined that "thesafety, security and welfare of Indian workers is of primary importance."

"Mostly concentrated in the Gulf, they are oftenexploited in India and abroad. Their living conditions abroad are not verygood. We have a great responsibility to address their needs and concerns,"he said.

by StephenWhite on Nov 27, 2011

Demandfor skilled workforce in the industry is expected to be around two million by2020. (Getty Images)

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Gulf companies could have 2m less skilled workers from India torecruit from by 2020 as the country's infrastructure sector continues to growat an exponential rate.

Confederation of India Industry (CII) member V. Ravichandar told conferencedelegates in Bangalore that the country needs machinery operators and technicalsupport to maintain the huge number of machines required to build the $1tn ininfrastructure projects it has planned.

To meet its current shortfall, India must improve its ability to recruitgradautes and school leavers, Ravichandar argued.

"As demand for skilled workforce in the industry is expected to bearound 2m by 2020, the government and industry players will have to jointlyintroduce specific courses in industrial training institutes, polytechnics andvocational training institutes to build the required human capital over thenext ten years," said Ravichandar.

"Firms need to collaboratively create an exclusive, nationwide skills initiativewith students, institutes and government as stakeholders to enlarge the pool ofskilled labour. The industry has to identify the gaps and asses thedemand."

Indian workers are a vital component of the construction industry in theregion. The UAE, for instance, is home to an estimated 1.75m Indianexpatriates.

However, last week the Indian Consulate revealed that it has seen afall in new visas for Indian nationals over the last year for the first time,with rising salaries in the Asian state said to be encouraging someworkers to stay at home.

24-November, 2011 15:39 IST

Steps for Welfare of Indian Workers in Middle East

From time to time, Indian Missions in countries of the Middle-East receive complaints from domestic workers regarding working conditions. Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs regulates emigration to Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries. In this regard, Ministry has taken many steps, which include the following:

(i) Domestic workers are mandatorily required to obtain employment documents duly attested by Indian Embassy concerned before seeking emigration clearance.

(ii) Age restriction of 30 years has been made mandatory in respect of all such women emigrants.

(iii) Women household workers are allowed to emigrate after the Indian mission has attested the identity of the foreign employer and terms and conditions of contract.

(iv) A pre-paid mobile facility must be provided by the employer to every woman Household Worker. If the Foreign Employer recruits the worker directly, he is required to deposit a security of $2500 with the Indian Mission.

(v) The Ministry has set up the Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC), which is a 24x7 Helpline to enable emigrant workers / prospective emigrants to obtain information on all emigration related matters and to seek redressal of their complaints.

(vi) The Ministry undertakes Awareness Campaign through the print and electronic media to sensitize potential emigrant workers about the legal emigration process and hazards of illegal emigration.

(vii) Indian Community Welfare Fund has been established in all Countries including Middle-East countries. Help is provided by the Indian Missions out of this fund to all Indian Workers who are stranded and are in need of assistance.

(viii) Erring foreign employers are blacklisted and action against recruitment agents are taken in case the grievances of emigrants are not resolved by them.

This information was given by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Ravi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today

PKM
(Release ID :77502)

Story Dated: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 20:15 hrs IST

New Delhi: There are no instances where exodus of Indian nurses in large numbers from Saudi Arabia has taken place, parliament was told Wednesday.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said that as per provision of the contracts, Saudi authorities can employ a Saudi nurse as and when available in place of a foreign recruit after payment of legal dues to such nurses.

"The Saudi side has not informed about the number of such nurses who might have returned to India," he said.

The minister said the Indian mission in Saudi Arabia has taken up cases of a few nurses with the Saudi government on humanitarian grounds.

"The Saudi side takes such decisions in line with the nationalisation policy of the government to provide jobs to unemployed Saudi citizens and in accordance with the provisions contained in the contract," Ravi added.

24 November 2011

DUBAI - The GCC countries are on track to spend a total of $97 billion between 2011 and 2020 for new road and railway projects, Kuwait Financial Centre, or Markaz, said on Wednesday.

The total value of railway projects, including rail, metro, tram, and stations, is estimated to be $79 billion. This includes the $30 billion GCC rail network to be shared among the member countries.

For the roads sector, the total value of ongoing projects amount to almost $18 billion, Markaz said in its latest installment of the GCC infrastructure series. The series covers Power, Airports, Seaports, Roads and Railways, ICT and Water.

In the wake of Dubai’s successful metro launch, other countries are also planning or discussing their versions of the metro. Abu Dhabi too has joined the fray with 131km metro rail system, which is expected to partially start in 2015.

They also plan a pan-GCC rail network. The updated value of this project is around $30 billion and will consist of a first rail line connecting all the GCC countries. The GCC network will include one rail line of 1,970km connecting all GCC countries and Qatar via a bridge. The second line of 1,984km will stretch between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and end in Oman. Land acquisition expenditures for the project are estimated at $3.1 billion, while the cost of purchasing trains and locomotives is budgeted at $1.8 billion. Work on the railway would start in 2012 following the completion of engineering studies.

Beginning from Kuwait, the railway will pass through the eastern Saudi Arabia city of Dammam, where it will connect to Bahrain through a bridge that runs parallel to the King Fahd Causeway before reaching Qatar via Salwa. The UAE and the Kingdom would be connected through another line that will run through Bathaa. The railway line will also run through Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to reach Oman through Sahar and Muscat. Qatar and Bahrain will be connected by a bridge.

Once completed, developers of the network plan to link the railway with ones in Jordan, Syria and Turkey.

Over the next 15 years, the total projected investment in rail projects in the GCC countries will be in excess of $100 billion including Qatar’s $35 billion, according to industry sources.

“Rail will be an interesting option for travelers because the current preferred form of transportation in GCC is by road or by air,” said Markaz.

The report said the GCC has historically focused its transportation investments in building roadways, thus ensuring high quality roads across most of the region. Almost 100 per cent of the roads in the GCC are paved; compared to the average in other emerging countries, which is below 75 per cent.

The aggregate length of roads available in the GCC is 291,313 km. Of this, 75 per cent is in Saudi Arabia, and 16 per cent is in Oman. These two countries are the two largest countries of the GCC as per area. The rest of the countries have a combined “road share” of approximately seven per cent.

“Expenditure on the transportation sector has primarily been focused on road networks. This can be mainly attributed to the significantly higher density of motor vehicles per kilometer of road in some of the GCC countries as compared to the BRIC peers. Among the six GCC countries, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have significantly higher traffic density in comparison with the rest of the countries,” the report said.

By the end of June 2011, the GCC had around $18 billion worth of “ongoing” road projects.

Only $200 million of the above total has a “delayed” status. The UAE is by far the most dynamic country with a share of close to 42 per cent. Qatar is all set to catch up with a share of 22 per cent.

Markaz said the future strategy for the road sector in the GCC is very ambitious. When the estimated value of projects announced for the period 2011–2015 is taken into account, the total GCC spending amounts to $58 billion, it said.

For the coming five-year period, Qatar will overtake the UAE in terms of planned investments, the report said.

By Claire Ferris-Lay

Tuesday, 22 November 2011 9:40 AM

India's construction boom has decreased the labour pool for the Gulf states

The Indian Consulate in the UAE saw a fall in new visas for Indian nationalslast year for the first time, as rising salaries in the Asian state keptworkers at home.

The Gulf state is likely to see a steady decline in blue-collar migrants asIndia's economic growth offers better opportunities to workers, theConsul General told Arabian Business.

"Last year, for the first time ever, the Indian Consulate served lesspassports than in 2009 so that would be an indication that the number ofIndians declined coming to the UAE," Sanjay Verma said on the sidelinesof the 5th Arabian Business Forum. "Passportservices saw a two percent drop.

"The numbers are declining because of the demand for labour in India.The civil construction sector has a shortage of civil engineers and skilledworkers, plumbing and carpentry."

The Asian state has rolled out a National Rural Employment Guarantee Actwhich offers 100 days of work a year to rural households, giving employment toworkers in villages who traditionally have looked abroad for jobs.

"The advantage of that is it is offered it to you in your home town orvillage so that has taken away some workers who otherwise would have comeabroad," Verma said.

The Gulf plays host to millions of migrants, primarily from Asia, whoaccount for the majority of blue-collar workers in the construction, domesticwork, and service industries.

An estimated three million migrate each year, sending back an estimated$175bn in remittances annually, according to Human Rights Watch data.

The UAE alone is home to an estimated 1.75 million Indian expatriates, thelargest group of foreign workers in the Gulf country. But experts have warnedthe country may struggle to attract and retain migrants if it fails to keeppace with rising salaries in India.

Minimum wages for unskilled foreign workers in the UAE are as low as AED600a month, with skilled workers receiving AED1,200 a month, according to theIndian Embassy, Abu Dhabi.

By comparison, wages in India, the world's fastest-growing economyafter China, surged by 11.1 percent last year, said recruitment firm GulfTalentin February.

The Indian Ambassador to the UAE said earlier this year the governmentplanned to enforce a minimum wage for Indian nationals hoping to work in theUAE.

If approved, the ruling will mean workers only receive immigration clearancefrom India if their employment contract meets with a set minimum salary.

Verma said the professional sectors were likely to feel the pinch first asIndia strives to hold on to homegrown talent and keep pace with itsfast-growing economy.

"It will be more expensive getting Indian workers. It's alreadyhappening in the professional sector, it's not as easy as it used to beto attract Indian doctors or accountants to come here."

In 2011, the number of new visas issued by the consulate will be flat, headded.

"I think it's going to be closer to 2010, probably the same as2010 but not a drastic increase."

18 Nov, 2011, 11.24PM IST, IANS

KHARAGPUR: West Bengal Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee Friday said TIL Ltd's port and construction equipment factoryand the upcoming crane and reach- stacker factory here would generateemployment for over 2,000 people.

TIL Ltd is a leading provider of a wide range of construction, mining and powersystems based in Kolkata.

"These factories would generate employment for over 2,000 people. But onlythose people who are employable would get the jobs," Chatterjee said inWest Midnapore district's Kharagpur city.

The minister was here to lay the foundation stone for the crane andreach-stacker factory at industrial park in Vidyasagar and inaugurate the firstphase of the port and construction equipment factory of the company atChangual. In the first phase, the company has invested Rs.150 crore.

Stating that the crane unit would take at least three years to get started,Chatterjee said: "I have asked the company to use the time for trainingpeople."

"Considering the modern technology used in factories these days, skilledworkforce is a pre-requisite," he added.

TIL Limited chairman Avijit Mazumdar said a training centre will be set up by2013.

Home
Posted: Fri, Nov 18 2011. 1:00 AM IST
Published on page 7

Yogendra Kalavalapalli, yogendra.k@livemint.com

As head of theIndian arm of Monster Worldwide Inc., the world's biggest onlinerecruitment firm, Sanjay Modi has an insight into hiring acrossindustries. As uncertainty clouds the global economy, Indian companies haveadopted a wait-and-watch policy towards hiring, said Modi, managing director(India/South-east Asia/Middle East) at Monster.com India Pvt. Ltd.

Modi, 42, was inHyderabad last week for the launch of Monster India's latest initiative,Monster College, which will connect educational institutes across the countryand potential employers. "With Monster College, our goal is to convertthe art of campus hiring into a science," he said in an interview. Editedexcerpts:

Do you see anyimpact of the economic uncertainty in US and European markets on hiring inIndia?

It is not amajor concern right now... but looking at the trend, uncertainty will continue.But, having said that— what is happening in the US and European markets,I think we should just wait and watch. And in case the situation turns adverse,then we will have to do an assessment of what is the impact, what is the degreeof impact, which industries are getting hit, and what should be the plan goingforward.

You have beentalking to recruiters and senior company executives. How is the mood there?

The mood is justcaution right now. They are also looking at the events, not sure how thingswill move. They are planning to wait and watch. But, from their perspective,hiring is going on as usual. So they are saying unless and until there are someindications they can rely on, there is no point in taking proactive measures.Because at the end of the day, if the situation is not as grave as we think itwould be, and if we slow down, then you will be losing ground to yourcompetition... So right now, preparation is important, planning for the worstis important. But, having said that, they are not disrupting their currentoperations, they are moving ahead.

Which segment isseeing more activity in terms of hiring? Is it at the entry level or the seniorexecutive level?

The good part ishiring is happening at all levels because if you see the organizationstructure, it will be in the form of a pyramid. The bottom of thepyramid—we have a high volume. In terms of the numbers, we will havehigher numbers at the entry level, which is 0-3 years. As we keep moving up,the requirements become smaller. From a cost perspective, they are expensiverecruitments. But, the interesting part is that the Indian market is seeing awhole amount of activity across all experience levels.

How hasrecruitment been year-on-year?

From Septemberto September, the index has grown by approximately 12%. So, there is growth inthe (job recruitment) market.

There is a lotof disparity in the hiring trend figures provided by various e-recruiters. Whyis this?

It is theframework that you follow. For example, ours is the most robust third-partyaudited report. And it scans the entire online space. If I look at what acouple of others are doing, they are just picking up a sample or just pickingup their site and doing the data on what was last month and what is now. But,for us, it happens across. As I said, there is a very definitive process andmethodology that we define. We started the Monster Employment index way back in2005 in the US and then we brought it to Europe covering about 17 countries andthen this methodology has come here. I think the methodology and thethird-party audited part as well as the scope of the entire report is what isunique, differentiating and more credible as compared to others in the market.

Going forward,where is the Indian market headed? Where do you see the revenue coming in forMonster?

Monster's see revenues willcome by deeper penetration in the market and (we'll) if we can touch base(with) smaller units and organizations who can start using online. That'sthe reason we launched mobile services because mobile penetration is higherthan Internet penetration. So, if I can take Monster on mobile, the chances arein a remote place a person who is having a company, which is a 10-peopleorganization, can still use Monster to hire that one person they need. That iswhere I see the growth opportunity coming. The opportunity will also come inreaching across to other parts of the country apart from the top 13 or 15cities. That's the reason we launched our alliance with Dish TV, takingjobs on television to cater to tier-II cities. Our intent is simple: yes, weare an Internet company, at the same time, we are looking at all mediums andchannels available on which Monster can ride and really take Monster to thedoorsteps of the customer. Once we try and integrate all these initiatives,that's where the real growth is. Growth in scale will comeabout—how many people are we going to touch base with, how many companiesI am able to engage with and how conveniently I am making them use Monster.

Are you in talkswith any more publishing houses to partner with and publish openings innewspapers/magazines?

We have tie-upswith magazines like India Today and some other newspapers. From analliance perspective, I would say, we are open because if there is strength ouralliance partner brings and there is... support, we are open as long as the end-customeris getting benefited. So, if you and me are alliance partners, and we have acommon customer and we believe our alliance will benefit our common customer,the company will be always open to such alliance.

Are you talkingto any company?

On a regularbasis, various companies approach us and we also approach them. But finally,whom we align with, there has to be an alignment in the thought process,approach etc. in a proper fashion.

Are you lookingat doing e-recruitment projects at the government level?

We areevaluating what's happening. But, we are just waiting in terms of acertain policy saying what will be given out and then engaging with them to seehow we can work with them. But, there is a definitive need that will be felt inthe market in the coming years in this space.

You have beenwith the company right from when it entered the Indian market in 2001. How hasMonster grown over the last 10 years?

When I joinedMonster, we were an eight-member organization. Today, we are a 700-member organization.We had just one office in Hyderabad, today we have 13 offices. When we camehere in 2001, we had a database of approximately 50,000 people, today we have26 million people. Those times we used to do like 1,000 resumes a day, today Igo by 15,000 resumes a day (laughs). At that time, Monster was just online.Today, Monster is available across all possible channels. I started with acustomer base of 30 companies. Today, I deal with about 20,000 companies...

Have youobserved any impact on recruitments in Hyderabad because of the Telanganaissue?

We have not comeacross any decrease in hiring from Hyderabad. Couple of reasons—numberone, sustained activity has not been continuous and for long period of time. Ithink the government, infrastructure and security—proper measures havebeen taken. They have allowed life to run peacefully. The government has takenprecautionary action like closing down schools, colleges etc. But the companieswere allowed to function.

Contributor:

Voxy News Engine

Monday, 21 November, 2011 - 11:01

ManpowerGroup New Zealand's new 2011 Borderless Workforce research has foundthat 39 per cent of employers in New Zealand look outside the country's bordersto address skills shortages, with foreign talent most important in 'engineers','technicians' and 'skilled manual trade' job categories, and primarily comingfrom the UK, South Africa and India.

The research findings were released in tandem with ManpowerGroup's newinsight paper, "Borderless Solutions to Today's Talent Mismatch,"advising employers worldwide on how to source the right talent across borders,and specifying the types of policies, public-private strategies and migrationpatterns that are driving greater sourcing opportunities across the world'stalent corridors.

Other key findings from the Borderless Workforce research include:

43% of employers are concerned about the impact on the labour market fromtalent leaving New Zealand to work in another country.

Further, 68%of employers believe government and business are not doingenough to slow the outward migration of talent and attract these people back toNew Zealand.

Employers from New Zealand who look abroad to help solve talent shortagesindicate the biggest obstacles they encounter when recruiting foreign workersare visa and legal requirements (25%).

New Zealand employers named Australia (39%) and )the United Kingdom (16%) asthe countries they believe provide the biggest threat to New Zealand's abilityto compete economically.

According to ManpowerGroup Australia & New Zealand's Managing Director,Lincoln Crawley, the world's borderless workforce - the migration of talentacross and within national boundaries - is growing rapidly in size.

"Employers need to take a sophisticated approach to managing theirtalent supply and demand challenges, in order to win the escalating war fortalent. This means including a talent mobility strategy in their overall planto combat skills shortages," said Mr Crawley.

Mr Crawley said employers today must collaborate with governments andeducators in creating more dynamic sourcing opportunities, at least regionally.More work opportunities are surfacing across more global markets, but labourlaws have traditionally been local. As a result, workers with the same sharedskills tend to congregate in regional "talent corridors." Employerstarget these regional pools when seeking specific skill sets.

"Kiwi employers have grave concerns about losing valuable, talentedworkers to overseas opportunities. And the problem is, the skills gaps in NewZealand are very similar to the rest of the world - engineers and skilledtradespeople are in demand everywhere," said Mr Crawley.

"To remain competitive, employers need to fight fire with fire,creating a global talent strategy of their own to attract foreign workers andfill their skills gaps."

ManpowerGroup's new Insight paper, "Borderless Solutions to Today'sTalent Mismatch," is available at www.manpowergroup.co.nz/research.cfm,along with The Borderless Workforce 2011 - Research Results Global andAustralia and New Zealand "All three papers

offer employers, governments and educators the real-time context needed tolocate talent with skills in demand - while overcoming regulatory and economicchallenges in the process.

20 Nov, 2011, 05.01PM IST, PTI

MUMBAI: Indians are becomingthe favourites among overseas companies looking for hiring temporary workers,as it gives them the flexibility of hiring for a particular need at minimumcost, says experts.

"India has become a favourite destination for hiring temporary workforce,especially in the IT sector. The trend that began about a decade back hasgained momentum since the last four to five years... growing by 15 to 20 percent per annum. Initially, only freshers were hired, but now companies are alsogoing in for experienced hands," Gi Staffing Services manager Samrat Roy told PTI here.

Temporary staffing gives companies the flexibility to hire people for a trialperiod or for a specific assignment, which helps them cut down staff costs,especially when they do not have visibility about a similar project in future,Gi Staffing Services executive director Jacob Samuel said.

"This is a win-win situation even for professionals, as this helps themgain exposure to work for multiple organisations, environments, platforms andprojects, thereby gaining professional enrichment," Samuel explained.

According to Samrat Roy, the trend is also picking up in Asia-Pacific nationsand Indians are getting hired in sectors like manufacturing, retail,automotive, healthcare and banking.

"In the retail segment, temporary hiring by overseas companies has gone up by almost 45 percent," hesaid, adding these temporary employees get packages at par with permanentworkforce as they are there for a limited time.

"Employees going from India aregetting the same salary on a daily basis, including housing and otherallowances," Roy said adding these employees are hired purely on talentrather than academic performance.

"Big companies have an HR policy for temporary staffing to judge them ontheir performance because it is believed that marks don't necessarily portraythe actual skill of a person or one's capability to do a particular work. Sotemporary staffers have the leverage to work with big companies even if theydid not score high marks in their exams," Samuel said.

Executive search firm GlobalHunt director Sunil Goel said gradually the demand for temporary jobs is also comingfrom Latin America and African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa apart from Asian countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

"About 10-15 percent of Indian IT employees work on overseas projectsonsite on temporary basis for client-specific requirements. This is expected togrow by 15-20 percent in coming years," Goel said.

Besides, Indian professionals engaged in power and energy, infrastructure,engineering procurement, construction and telecom sectors are also in highdemand from overseas employers.