With the shadow of the global slowdown behind it, the corporate sector appears to have increased its appetite for consultants. Even while 10-15 per cent of the post graduate programme for executives (PGPX) batch at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is yet to be placed, the placements for the one-year programme has seen a sudden rise in consulting firms picking up large number of students.
Last year, while the IT-ITES sector offered the maximum roles with 21 per cent, consulting followed at 20 per cent. However, according to Manoj Khare, placement co-ordinator, PGPX at IIM-A, consulting firms, both domestic and international, have outshone the so far predominant IT sector during the current placement season. “So far IT firms had been the major recruiters of PGPX students. It was also because 40-45 per cent of the batch came from IT sector. But for the first time, consulting firms have been recruiting PGPX students in a fairly large number.”
Khare attributes the sudden increase in offers from consulting sector to the last year's slowdown. “The slowdown has resulted in an increased need for consulting. The demand for consulting contracts seems to have increased, given which consulting firms have begun hiring executives for the job. Moreover, almost all the sectors had suppressed hiring last year. Hence, this year the hiring has increased,” he points out.
Apart from consulting and IT, the other prominent sectors include real estate and finance. "Real estate was almost absent during recruitments at PGPX. However, the sector has returned this year to pick up students," Khare adds.
Last year, IIM-A despite its strong alumni base and its number one position, struggled for close to five months to place a batch of 77 students. The placements, which began in January, ended in May with the institute placing a 93 per cent of its third batch of PGPX (2008-09) programme. The average salary offered at campus was Rs 20.16 lakh for the programme which charges a fee of Rs 17.5 lakh.