Hays' CEO Alistair Cox on the company's India plan
Leading global recruiter Hays CEO Alistair Cox says the company is doing well in India.
Hays' CEO Alistair Cox
It is a time of pink slips and 'Sorry, we're not hiring'. Yet leading global recruiter Hays, which started operations in India two years ago, has seen profitable growth here. Alistair Cox, the firm's CEO, who visited recently, spoke with Shamni Pande. Edited excerpts:
Your entry into India was marred by the slowdown. How is the situation now?
In most developing economies, such as India and China, there is certainly an environment conducive to growth. I am happy to report that we are doing very well here. Our business globally has grown eight per cent in the last quarter. Businesses are hiring, though they may be more selective in their needs.
How do you position yourself in the market?
We position ourselves in the mid-tosenior level recruitment market. In the last 12 months, we have placed up to 60,000 people in permanent jobs. We will also place 300,000 people in temporary positions across the world. In India, we will concentrate on the permanent talent space, that is how we enter any new market. Once we assess the demand and firm up our operations, we will eventually also look to place people in temporary positions. Right now we have operations in Delhi and Mumbai, and once we build scale, we will look at other cities. Currently, we cater to positions in the engineering and manufacturing segments.
What are the specialisations gaining traction today?
Engineers are and will continue to be sought after. There is a huge need for infrastructure growth and development, especially in developing regions. Every country is looking at different markets to meet their need for trained engineers. Hence, qualified people with language skills are going to be in demand.
What is happening at mid-level positions?
There is greater demand for trained people and employers are getting very careful about hiring absolutely the right kind of people, so it does appear to be a tough situation for mid-level talent. But then there are unprecedented opportunities for people across the developing nations.
Is India losing out on account of cost arbitrage when it comes to certain jobs and businesses?
It does appear that many of the lowend businesses, particularly in the ITeS segment, are going to South Africa, Vietnam and the Philippines. But Indian players have moved up the value chain and business models have undergone dramatic changes, so India will not lose out significantly. We have seen this change in our own internal back office in India, which started with basic data entry work and has now moved on to more complex dispute resolution work.
Your entry into India was marred by the slowdown. How is the situation now?
In most developing economies, such as India and China, there is certainly an environment conducive to growth. I am happy to report that we are doing very well here. Our business globally has grown eight per cent in the last quarter. Businesses are hiring, though they may be more selective in their needs.
How do you position yourself in the market?
We position ourselves in the mid-tosenior level recruitment market. In the last 12 months, we have placed up to 60,000 people in permanent jobs. We will also place 300,000 people in temporary positions across the world. In India, we will concentrate on the permanent talent space, that is how we enter any new market. Once we assess the demand and firm up our operations, we will eventually also look to place people in temporary positions. Right now we have operations in Delhi and Mumbai, and once we build scale, we will look at other cities. Currently, we cater to positions in the engineering and manufacturing segments.
What are the specialisations gaining traction today?
Engineers are and will continue to be sought after. There is a huge need for infrastructure growth and development, especially in developing regions. Every country is looking at different markets to meet their need for trained engineers. Hence, qualified people with language skills are going to be in demand.
What is happening at mid-level positions?
There is greater demand for trained people and employers are getting very careful about hiring absolutely the right kind of people, so it does appear to be a tough situation for mid-level talent. But then there are unprecedented opportunities for people across the developing nations.
Is India losing out on account of cost arbitrage when it comes to certain jobs and businesses?
It does appear that many of the lowend businesses, particularly in the ITeS segment, are going to South Africa, Vietnam and the Philippines. But Indian players have moved up the value chain and business models have undergone dramatic changes, so India will not lose out significantly. We have seen this change in our own internal back office in India, which started with basic data entry work and has now moved on to more complex dispute resolution work.
