This has had a positive impact on the attitude of the people towards temping which had till now not been considered by many as respectable, primarily due to the variance in the salaries, according to the Annual Temp Salary Primer 2008 by TeamLease Services.
The variance between temporary and permanent salaries has considerably narrowed this year for the three years to five years experience category and this gap also might close soon. Many of the IT firms depend on temporary staff with certain skill sets to meet the manpower needs for a certain project, for instance.
The convergence has resulted from the need of firms to keep the temp staff with the right attitude and aptitude as long as possible without absorbing them. So, while they are assured of the services of the quality employees, they need not take them on board.
The perceived global slowdown could actually push the trend as firms try not to take on too much flab because of the uncertainties in the economy. When the west speaks of job losses, many here are optimistic.
According to Rajesh A R, vice-president, temporary staffing, TeamLease Services, "There are worries that global problems will slow down India's job creation, but we don't agree. We are optimistic about 2008."
Rajesh sees the Rs 27,000-crore National Skill Development Mission attempts to help develop the skills of the youth which will in turn improves employability of the youth.
He says, 2008 will see policy align with the private sector to tackle the problem of unemployability issues. The documents highlight the continued higher returns to skills that is accelerating the privatisation of skill development.
In Bangalore, technology and retail sectors dominate with a salary hike rate of about 20 per cent or more. Graduates with one to three years of experience lead the job profiles in the IT domain.
India, which is overwhelmingly dependent on temporary staff who number around 80 million, has only some 400,000-odd attached to firms like TeamLease, Adecco among other temporary staffing firms.
According to the Annual Temp Salary Primer 2008 brought out by TeamLease, "Graduates with one to three years of experience get the best increments across many industries and cities while there are instances where specific job profiles are rewarded better."
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