Admitting that the global economic environment was still 'uncertain', IT body Nasscom said on Tuesday the fundamentals of the domestic IT industry are strong but there was a need to 'wait' and 'watch' its performance in the next two quarters.
". . . market is really uncertain.But I think the fundamentals of our industry are also very strong. . . . It is true that economic environment is uncertain and we will watch the next two quarters", Nasscom president Som Mittal, who got an extension till 2014 on Monday, told reporters.
Speaking on the sidelines of a one day seminar 'Surge 2012' organised by National Association of Software and Services Companies, he said the Indian rupee depreciation against the US dollar helps the industry only in the long term perspective and businesses do not gain much during short term.
"Well, rupee depreciation helps us in the long term.
"Because it ensures competitivesness for the industry.
"But in the short run, we do not really gain because as an industry we do not want currency movement to be in the centre of loss or profit. Because most people want to get what they have projected in terms of
pricing", he said.
"We need a stable currency, rather than guessing how far dollar and rupee will be. We hope the government will bring more stability", he said.
Asked about IT companies entering new geographies, Mittal said, "people are now picking up new geographies. Natural growth is happening in Europe, Latin America and West Asia".
"For short term opportunities. . . we will be going to newer geographies like Latin America and Middle East and Asia.
"But in the longer term, we will be focusing on places were the need is higher", he said.
To a query on their expectations from the government, he said stability in policies was needed because it would build trust between government and the business.
"I think this is the time we need the government to offer some support -- not in terms of any incentives, but as much as stable policies and more positive relationship between business and industry", he said.
On employment in the IT industry, he said projections were that 160,000 to 180,000 jobs should be created this year.
"We have given offers to more than 100,000 students in engineering colleges", he said.
Last year, Nasscom had predicted that 200,000 new jobs would be created in the industry.
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Admitting that the global economic environment was still 'uncertain', IT body Nasscom said on Tuesday the fundamentals of the domestic IT industry are strong but there was a need to 'wait' and 'watch' its performance in the next two quarters.