Thursday, June 23 2005 19:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: Notwithstanding the growth projections by various industry bodies including Nasscom, the Indian IT and BPO sector is struggling to come to terms with paucity of professionals for the industry needs.

The high attrition rate and lack of middle level professionals are serious areas of concern for the industry, according to experts.

There has been a shortage of middle level professionals in the IT industry for quite some time now. Currently, the industry is moving up on the value chain.

It is moving from traditional segments like application software to specialties like systems integration. The shortage of qualified hands could be a result of this among others, Mastek Ltd Chairman Ashank Desai told sources in Hyderabad. The paucity is more in case of middle level professionals who currently constitute anything between 10 to 15 per cent, Desai added.

Similarly, the BPOs, now being seen as the growth engines of the sector, is suffocated by high attrition and inferior language skills.

While industry experts are not so worried about attrition, the lack of language skills is a bit worrying. "Attrition in BPOs could be because of the lifestyle and nature of work. People tend to prefer a change in job after two-three years of odd working hours and stress," says Desai.

However, there is a flip side too. "We have interviewed more than 500 candidates in the last six months but only 20 per cent of them were having dependable communication skills", says chairman of a reputed multinational BPO company in Hyderabad.

In fact, many companies are now running in-house courses in English to their employees.

According to Dasarath R Gude, Chairman Veda IT and Managing Director ATI Technologies India Pvt Ltd, the problem will linger for another one or two years.

"It is not possible to create middle level professionals overnight. The skills and experience are to be nurtured. Many IT professionals who had gone abroad earlier are now returning with experience because of opportunities here", he says.

The industry is evolving its own way of dealing with the situation. "In Mastek, we are emphasizing on building a work culture that attracts and retains talent," says Desai.

The gradual merger on BPO and IT sectors, which is happening now, will also ease the situation, he adds.

According to Nasscom estimates, the IT industry in the country is currently growing at a rate of 30 per cent.