The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : It is placement time too city pulse

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Monday, Jun 02, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

It is placement time too city pulse

Priscilla Jebaraj

Downtrend in Information Technology recruitments noticed

— File photo

NEXT MOVE: For students in colleges, it is time to gear up for campus recruitment drives.

CHENNAI: City colleges have started buzzing with admission activities this summer, with students buying prospectuses, filling in application forms, writing entrance tests and sitting for interviews.

As they make the move from school to college, there’s another group of students on campus, busy making the move from college to the working world — placement season has started.

In fact, in some colleges, the last of the 2008 graduates are still looking out for jobs. In other colleges, especially engineering institutions, placements for 2009 graduates are in full swing (despite an Anna University notice telling affiliated colleges not to begin placements till June).

College placement officers are already noting a downtrend in recruitment from the IT sector.

“There has been a pull down in the number of companies visiting campus as well as in the number of hires … about 25 to 30 per cent,” says Mohamed Tajudeen, placement officer at Crescent Engineering College.

His counterpart at Velammal Engineering College, Arun Ramaswamy agrees.

“There is a downward trend. IT companies, especially the smaller ones, are taking back slots they had given colleges,” he says.

The reason? Companies say their business requirement has come down, according to Mr. Ramaswamy. Those which hired 40 to 45 students last year are only looking for about 10 to 12 this year. Mr.Tajudeen says the falling dollar exchange rate is to blame.

IT companies, especially the multinationals, are postponing their recruiting season.

“They say they will come after August, because they hope the slump will be over by then…Or they are expecting a bounce back after US elections are over,” he says.

The winners in this situation could be core engineering companies, which have suffered for the last few years by arriving after the IT firms had grabbed the top picks. “This trend emerged last year itself, when 44 of the 60 students in Mechanical Engineering were placed in good core jobs…I expect the rise in number of visiting core companies, number of hires and good pay packages to increase this year,” says Mr. Tajudeen.

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