What is the status of placements at IITs this year?
What's the story
With the placement season on at the Indian Institutes of Technology, international firms are reportedly in an "aggressive recruitment mode", intensifying the war for talent at the premier engineering institutes. This year, Asian companies are ahead of the American ones in the race at IITs, with most of the overseas offers being made by recruiters in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. Know more!
Details
Overseas hiring at IITs on the rise
Reports say companies based in Asian countries are making offers than the US ones despite the fact that Microsoft is offering more US jobs than last year. However, Oracle isn't hiring for US roles this time. In 2016-17, there were very few overseas offers at the IITs. But this year, foreign offers have more than tripled at the IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur.
Placements
Numbers of international offers at the IITs
At IIT Madras, the number of international offers increased from six in 2016-17 to 22 in the first three days of the placements; while those at IIT Kharagpur rose from nine to 30. At IIT Roorkee, the numbers have gone up to 13 from 12; while IIT Kanpur students got 20 such offers. IIT Bombay saw 60 international offers compared to 50 last year.
Recruiters
Asian and American companies at IIT Roorkee and Kanpur
Placement officials say the rise in the overseas offers was fuelled by Asian recruiters "aggressively" hiring tech talent. Microsoft offered three US jobs at IIT Roorkee while Japanese recruiters made ten offers: Mercari made nine offers while WebStaff made one. IIT Kanpur got eight Amercian offers with four from Microsoft. Asian companies offered over ten jobs, with Singapore's Dynamic Technology Lab making five offers.
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Potential of IIT students
NP Padhy, Professor-In-Charge of Training and Placement at IIT Roorkee, said: "IITs are the hub for technology talent for global companies. Now, more and more countries, led by the likes of Japan, are realizing the potential of IIT students."
Kharagpur Campus
IIT Kharagpur students and Asian companies' offers
IIT Kharagpur's Chairman of the Career Development Centre, Debasis Deb, said Asian companies are in an aggressive hiring mode. Placement officials said students are also keen on Asian companies. Taiwanese Semiconductor made four offers at IIT Kharagpur while Japan's Konica Minolta and first-timer LG of South Korea made three offers. Japan's Mercari was also at IIT Kharagpur for the first time.
Japan
Japan is ahead of Asian recruiters
One of the reasons behind Japan leading the charge could be the country's need to have young talent due to its aging population, said one IIT placement official. Japan's Murata and Sysmex made 11 offers at IIT Bombay where NEC Japan was also an aggressive recruiter. Meanwhile, IIT Madras got nine Japanese offers, three times more than in 2016-17.
Preference
Students preferring Asian jobs over US ones
According to a placement official at an IIT, "Quite a few offers have come from companies in Japan and Singapore other than the US recruiters." He added, "Despite salaries being lower in rupee terms, students are keen to join since those are good avenues to explore and grow and (some locations in Asia) also have a lower cost of living than US."