The Hindu Business Line- Anjali Prayag, September 6, 2008
Staffing solutions firm Adecco India is eyeing agri-related jobs such as rural logistics, Warehousing and cold chain management for the company’s growth this year. The company is creating a talent pool to be hired in these sectors through the Adecco Youth Connect programme. In a tie-up with 70 colleges, graduates would be hired according to industry needs, said Mr Sudhakar Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, India and Middle East, Adecco.
Acquisitions
Adecco India, whose temp strength has crossed the 50,000-employee mark, is also eyeing acquisitions in the IT and engineering staffing areas, Mr Balakrishnan said. In February this year, the company made a foray into blue collar temping in the country with the acquisition of Mumbai-based industrial staffing firm Ajinkya. The company’s industrial engineering division currently employs about 5,000 temps across the country.
Market Penetration
Worldwide, around 70 per cent of Adecco’s business comes from blue collar temping and the rest from white collar jobs. “In India, the ratio is reverse and so there is a great opportunity for us,” says Mr Balakrishnan.
Temping penetration in the country itself is far below the global average which is about four per cent. The country currently has 40 million people comprising its workforce and only about 3.5 lakh temp employees are on the rolls of the five big players in the organised sector.