October - 2003 issue > Cover Feature

By Rahul Chandran

U.S. RETURNEES NEED NOT APPLY,” WAS A COMMON REFRAIN in recruitment advertisements placed by many Indian software companies in the late 90’s. Their thinking was that the returnees—pampered by the good money and the “easy” life in the U.S.—would be detrimental to the company’s larger interests. Many were even worried about the effect of the returnees on the morale of the Indian teams.

The Indian software industry has come a long way since then. And companies have largely understood the benefits of tapping Indians in the U.S. to head their technical teams in India.

How the buck has changed. Suddenly, U.S. returnees aren’t just people on H1-B visas returning because they were laid off and their visas expired. Companies are willing to invest in the process of relocation and the various attendant concerns, just so they can claim the advantage of a resource that is well versed in the U.S. work ethic and has a global outlook.

The recent siliconindia career factory events saw a multitude of companies queuing up to hire people with the right technical and “people skills.” Blandishments on offer ranged from relocation assistance to flexible salary arrangements and fully-paid company accommodation in Indian metros.

So what is the reason for the volte face? What are the issues involved? Why the sudden spurt in the return to India movement that has traditionally been just a trickle? And how are companies attracting top-notch talent back?
siliconindia reports.

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