The Hindu Business Line : `Increasing career fairs an indication of talent crisis'

"Career Fairs" are no longer a "once-in-a-year" event. Almost every other day, there is an announcement of a "job mela" in some campus or the other, as employers find this an ideal platform to meet potential candidates and conduct at least the first level of screening. The frequency of such fairs, on the one hand, signifies the industry's human resource requirement, while, on the other, the overwhelming response (crowd size) is an indication of the job seekers' desperation in finding a suitable job.

"The talent crisis is across all sectors, not just the IT and IT-enabled services industry, as is generally perceived," says Ms V.G. Nirupama, Associate Director, TeamLease Service Pvt Ltd, a staffing solutions organisation.

The company has pioneered the concept of temporary staffing in India. It currently has over 56,000 employees on its rolls and a presence across 464 locations and 19 offices across the country. "With the current pace of development, we would probably close this year with about a lakh of people on our rolls," Ms Nirupama said.

Coimbatore, according to Ms Nirupama, offers enormous job potential with multinational companies such as Bosch and a few others establishing their presence here. "The infrastructure is much better, the quality of the talent pool is not only good but is available at comparatively easier rates in addition to the locational advantage, the city's cosmopolitan culture and above all its manufacturing strength," she said when asked to compare the city with other hubs such as Bangalore and Pune.

Asked if TeamLease would set up its presence in the textile city considering the projection of huge human resource requirement of the companies, she said: "We may in the near future".

TeamLease, she said, was working with a few companies here. "Their staffing requirements are massive," she said.

According to her, job aspirants are no longer doubtful about moving into Coimbatore and adding value to the organisation.