New Delhi: A relaxing era for HR managers hovering for employees as attrition in the BPO scene witness a drop to as low as 30 percent. The outsourcing firms' tendency for having a new workforce in every six months is cut short with employees taking to it as a long term career prospect.

Unlike the earlier incessant hiring when the BPO market lacked maturity and employees opted out all the time, the sector has seen a definite maturity and has emerged as a good option by the people. As said by Genpact HR head Piyush Mehta, "About 80 percent positions in top management levels are filled through internal promotions in the organization now." Infact, while WNS Global has witnessed a decrease by around 11 percent with the attrition rate declining from 48 percent to 37 percent in the first quarter of 2008-09, Genpact see a dip to 25 percent.

From being considered a playground to gain some months of experience, BPOs has gained a status with freshers no more joining it for passing their time. "Initially positioned as call-centers, the BPO sector is no longer just a fun place to be. With new business deliverables and verticals being added in their repertoire, the need for specialized skills and trained individuals has become mandatory. The employees have also realized the importance of building a career and know what they are looking for when they enter into the organization," explains Nasscom Vice-President Sangita Gupta to Economic Times.

Going by the statistics of Nasscom-McKinsey report BPO sector will directly employ 2.3 million by 2010, thus ensuring high competitiveness in the outsourcing market. Moreover, the trend of incentives to retain a hold on employees is also greatly practiced making agents take a serious note on it from the career perspective.