Pune: Expats are now looking for jobs in India, especially in the engineering, manufacturing, infrastructure and construction sectors, and are ready to work for Indian salary, thanks to India's growing manufacturing strength, coupled with a simultaneous slowdown in western countries, reported The Economic Times.

Those relocating to India include not only entry-level workers but also higher-level professionals. People are even interested in working at the plant manager level, where average salaries are around Rs 12 lakh a year in India.

Anoop Kumar, Senior VP for HR, Kirloskar Oil Engines, cited recruiting agencies that offer their services to expats. "A recruiting agency approached us with a database of expat managers from the plant manager upward. These are typically people in their late 40s, looking for a couple of years' work experience in India," he said.

According to Kumar, Industry is either slowing down or stagnating in other parts of the world while it is growing in India.

HR heads in Pune think the most preferred fields of expats are engineering, infrastructure, construction and even retail as these are areas where specialist technical skill, coupled with managerial aptitude, is in short supply in India.

Vishwajit Jhavar, who along with four partners founded construction company Marvel Realty, is now recruiting expats. "We need to learn processes and quality from them and, in a global environment, we need to get global talent. We have begun to hire in Dubai and the U.S.," Jhavar said. According to a source, "Typically, Indian firms with revenues in excess of Rs 500 crore can afford a general manager in the Rs 25 to 30 lakh, plus perks per annum range."