2013: Where To From Here?

There have been some very exciting developments in India over the past few years. Now in 2013 it seems that the country has evolved into a new and flourishing phase where it is seen as a legitimate location for big regional and global HR roles across a number of key industries — and not just as one of the major BPO hubs. There is still some mixed commentary on how the economy will move mid-term, however the signs are very positive that the HR and business world can look forward to India playing a major role not only as an exporter of talent, but as an excellent and highly competitive place to live and do business.

India’s top HR professionals have a great hunger for regional and global working experience and this is certainly not a new trend. However, interestingly, on a local basis, we are seeing a tendency for HR professionals to be less open and adventurous in considering new opportunities in their home market. People seem to be doing a lot more due-diligence with an increasing number opting to stay with their current employer after considering what is available externally. This is a natural trend that one can expect with uncertainty in the markets.

It’s difficult to forecast with such a diverse economy how 2013 will develop for India from a HR perspective, but we are confident that the country will continue to be an attractive place for multinational organisations given the highly skilled and advanced capabilities of its workforce – from a broad skill base perspective as well as for the HR profession. 

As referenced above, we are seeing an increasing number of organisations introducing HR Country Leads or upgrading India based roles to VP positions. These roles often include responsibility for Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and/or South East Asia. We are also seeing India at the core of Emerging Markets cluster roles – further adding to the value that India can offer. This is obviously helping to position India as a major regional and global centre and it is also further feeding an appetite among HR leaders for exposure outside of India.

These recent developments can only be a positive sign for the Indian HR community. They are tangible signs of a growing number of opportunities for top HR professionals to get involved in not only more APAC wide opportunities, but also at a global level. Assisting and accelerating this trend is the fact that recently there has been an increased amount of flexibility from leading multinational employers as to where employees can be located, especially where roles are of a regional or global nature and include extensive travel. In our view, these developments will continue to bode well for the Indian HR market through 2013 and beyond.