JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR NRI’S RETURNING TO INDIA

In the past it was widely accepted that ambitious Indians would go overseas to study and eventually become NRI’s. Today there are indications that the tide may be turning as those same people seek new opportunities back home. They can now benefit from India’s economic potential with compensation levels comparable to what they were receiving overseas. In addition, they have the chance to reconnect with their roots.

There are also opportunities to serve the Indian government at the highest levels. The government has introduced a number of facilities for NRI’s to make it attractive for NRI’s to return.

There are many opportunities options when it comes to jobs for NRIs returning to india. In addition to traditional career paths, there now exists another option for NRI’s wishing to spend part of every year in India: interim jobs. For example, opportunites to manage a project. Or to fill in on a short-term basis when a company has a gap in an organization due to the sudden and unexpected departure of a permanent employee. This means you can maintain your NRI status while still spending part of the year gainfully employed in India. For the typical NRI jobs that provide that kind of flexibility would be ideal.

Compensation Levels for NRI Managers

Indian companies understand that for an NRI job salary is a major factor. Fortunately, salaries in corporate India have increased tremendously in recent years. Multinational companies and top Indian firms pay tend to pay the best salaries. Senior-level managers or people with specialized skills can expect salaries comparable to those in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan, Singapore or the Middle East. 

Some sectors require a certain level of skill and experience that are not available within India. Companies in these sectors look at hiring from outside India. And if you are an NRI, with these sought after skills, you might find yourself in high demand. While a decade ago the salaries in India used to be around 40-70% of US salaries, in many cases salaries for senior executives are higher in India than in the the US or Europe because of a shortage of talent with many years of experience. The supply of entry-level people is high, and their salaries are far lower than their counterparts in the West. But the population of senior managers is small in comparison to the demand, so their salaries can be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. India has changed.

Sectors in India that are hiring NRIs now

India today offers better employment opportunities for Non Resident Indian than ever before. But while landing a job in itself might not be difficult for an NRI, there are some sectors that are keenly looking out to hire those with global experience.

So which are the sectors that require the talent that is abundant among the overseas NRI talent pool but in short supply in India? The list is long, but here are just a few examples:

 

  • Healthcare: This includes biotechnology, contract research and manufacturing, clinical research and pharmaceutics. India is becoming a hub for outsourcing in the healthcare sector according to many observers. Multinational companies (e.g. Pfizer, Novartis, Eli Lilly) look at India as a skilled and cost effective hub to outsource certain functions. This includes research in areas like stem cell, vaccines, synthetic life and genetic engineering. While the employees of these firms are largely from within India, the leadership team of these units often have global experience. This includes both technical and non-technical management.
  • Government: There are also opportunities for NRI experts to take on roles within the government, such in Niti Ayog (whose role is similar to what the Planning Commission’s role used to be). Those who have not renounced their Indian citizenship are eligible. There are literally millions of career opportunities in India’s government departments and public sector units.
  • Infrastructure: Indian companies are looking to hire NRI talent for a wide range of infrasturcture projects, including ports, roads, nuclear plants and telecom networks.  The telecom sector in India has seen an explosive growth in subscriber base and volumes. However, margins in voice based service are thin and companies are looking beyond voice. They are looking at value added services (VAS) and the availability of high bandwidth, upgrades and rollouts of technologies (5G etc) is making that possible. Companies need people to build applications and bring innovative services to the table. And currently, much of these skill sets are only available in more mature markets.
  • Manufacturing:  We have been very active in supplying senior management talent (CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s, CHRO’s, CTO’s, etc.) in the Indian manufacturing sector, in a wide range of sectors, including steel, electric power equipment, chemicals, pharma, electric pumps, etc. With the new emphasis on reducing India’s dependence on imported manufactured goods from mainland China, there are major opportunities in India today for NRI’s with experience in electronics, active pharmaceutical ingredients, automotive components (e.g. batteries), aerospace, defense equipment and wide range of consumer products.
  • Information Technology While India is still a hub for cost effective technology operations, some niche technology operations still require global expertise, especially in cutting edge areas such as artifical intelligence, blockchain and quantum computing. X-PM has done a lot of work for IT firms in India, including for software product companies, software application development companies, and for foreign companies seeking to set up IT backoffices in India.

Interim Leadership Roles (e.g. Interim CEO, Interim CFO, Interim CTO, etc.)

One of the biggest opportunities for NRIs who wish to return to India is the growing need for interim managers and experts to assist companies in manage projects, manage crises and plug organizational gaps during periods of discontinuity. Compensation for seasoned managers is on par with American and European managers when you take differences in the cost of living into account, and many interim managers find that they can have the best of both worlds by splitting their time between India, where they can work on meaningful projects, and overseas, where they can spend time with friends or their grown up children.

Since our launch in India in 2011, X-PM has seen a steady growth in demand for interim leaders with proven expertise in key sectors, such as healthcare, manufacturing (steel, power equipment, automotive, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc.), infrastructure (power disribution, telecom, etc.), information  technology and IT-enabled services. If you are an NRI looking for job opportunities in India, this is a good time to bring your knowledge and experience gained overseas for the benefit of your family, Indian industry and the country. For more information on the kinds of projects that require interim managers, please click on the “View Our Case Studies” button below.

Need help finding a job in India? The first step is to register with X-PM. X-PM currently has a talent pool of thousands interim managers and experts who are avialable for deployment in companies in India, and many of the members of this talent pool are expats and NRI’s who appreciate the opportunity to work on interesting projects while spending time with family or friends in India. If an NRI returns to India every six months to work on a project, it enables him or her to have the best of both worlds.

We understand that for an NRI finding job in india can be daunting, so we try to make it easier. To join our talent pool, free of cost, please click on the “Become an Interim Manager” tab at the top of this page. Whenever one of our clients has a project that matches your profile, we will let you know. For more tips on how to manage your return to India or on finding a job, please contact us and let us know the specific questions you have.