Anticipating a more protectionist U.S. technology visa programme under a Donald Trump administration, India’s $150 billion IT services sector is now going to recruit more US freshers for jobs.
An Economic Times report said that Indian outsourcing giants Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services will hire more engineers from campuses in the United States, thus shattering the dreams of engineering graduates in India.
Infosys is adapting to “a changing political landscape as a new administration takes office”, its chief executive Vishal Sikka told Financial Times.
Last week, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the post of Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions assured lawmakers of taking steps towards pushing legislative measures to curb ‘misuse of H-1B and L1 work visas’ significantly used by Indian IT professionals.
“It’s simply wrong to think that we’re in a totally open world and that any American with a job can be replaced if somebody in the world is willing to take a job for less pay,” he said.
While few expect a complete shutdown of skilled worker visas as Indian engineers are an established part of the fabric of Silicon Valley, and U.S. businesses depend on their cheaper IT and software solutions, any changes are likely to push up costs.
And a more restrictive programme would likely mean Indian IT firms sending fewer developers and engineers to the United States, and increasing campus recruitment there.
(With inputs from Reuters)