IT can reduce regional disparities

SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR ( The Times of India ) : provides some factual information on how IT is changing the regional disparities.

Frantic hiring in IT has created a serious shortage of skilled workers, a paradox in a country bedevilled by unemployment. IT companies find that workers they hire and train leave for better jobs within months or years. In the last quarter, Wipro and Satyam reported worker attrition of 18%, and Infosys of over 10%. So, they (and other IT companies) are moving to every part of India in search of English-speaking persons who can be trained to meet their inexhaustible needs.

They have penetrated the Marxist heartland of West Bengal and Kerala, where no manufacturing companies dare venture.

IT companies are less worried about militant unions since they create white-collar jobs, not blue-collar ones.

Besides, West Bengal has declared IT to be a public utility where strikes are forbidden. Kerala has welcomed the IT industry with open arms. After decades, these states are witnessing an explosion of new jobs.