Indian entrepreneurs are more bullish on economic growth than their global counterparts and will be on a hiring spree in the next six months, says a survey by workplace solutions provider Regus.
According to Regus, which surveyed over 5,000 entrepreneurs across 78 countries, 40 per cent of the surveyed entrepreneurs said they will go on a hiring spree in the next six months, as compared to the 36 per cent overseas.
"Entrepreneurs worldwide are more prepared to take the gamble for growth and hire new staff than larger companies," the survey noted.
Interestingly, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are becoming more flexible about their employees' working location and willing to employ them even from smaller places in order to secure top talent.
In India, 78 per cent of businesses are flexible about their employees working location, net 37 per cent intend to add staff, and fully 60 per cent of businesses plan to hire mothers returning to the workforce.
While globally, the survey found that SMEs are more likely to be flexible about work location (76 per cent) than overall businesses (66 per cent).
"Rather than cutting human resources, SMEs are choosing to increase flexibility of location and reduce fixed office space in order to attract and reward top staff who will benefit from working closer to home," Regus Country Head Madhusudan Thakur said.
Given that in India, SMEs account for 45 per cent of industrial output, employ over 60 million people and are expected to contribute 22 per cent to the growth of the economy by 2012, the hiring plan will have strong implications on the country's economy.
"India can boast more positive indicators than some other regions, and micro, small and medium enterprises, accounting for almost 80 per cent of employment and 35 per cent of exports, show strong signs that they do not intend to step out of the limelight once the full momentum of the recovery begins," Thakur added.