Today, India’s strong base of skilled software manpower is a beacon for software customers. The advantages offered by this significant pool can never be over-emphasized. As of March 2001, India had over 410,000 working software professionals. Out of a total of 122,000 engineers trained each year, almost 75,000 new software engineers are ready to join the industry on an annual basis. Others migrate overseas or join end-user organizations. Educational universities, as well as the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), are the principal sources of newly-qualified personnel. In addition, thousands of other technical personnel are trained by private sector institutes.

The demand for Indian skilled manpower is also on the rise among countries outside of the U.S. According to Stepstone, the largest career portal in Europe, major opportunities are emerging for Indian talent from within the European Union. By 2003, in fact, Stepstone says there will be around 1.6 million unfilled jobs in the EU. Germany alone accounts for about half of the vacancies—400,000. France has recently announced over 100,000 openings in the public sector alone. Austria has over 30,000 vacancies, and Norway is offering over 30,000 jobs. Since most of the European companies are looking to leverage India’s skills in the IT sector, Indian companies are increasingly expanding their presence in Europe. In the year 2000-01, Europe accounted for over 24 percent of India’s software export destination.

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