IT industry body Nasscom has no objection to the US protecting its qualified workforce but only wants such measures to be made applicable to all companies instead of just Indian firms.
“If they believe that protection is required for qualified American workers, we have no objection. But you are not going to protect (them) if you bring in restrictions and say they are applicable to only one set of companies, which account for only 20% of the visas,” said Nasscom president R. Chandrasekhar.
“Protect them fully... Don’t say we are protecting and stop only certain category of companies,” he said, adding that the visa restrictions were targeted at Indian companies. This inspite of the Indian IT companies creating jobs in the US and filling the gaps with regard to skilled people there.
Few companies
Noting that the restrictions are targeted at visa dependent companies, he said: “If you think people are losing jobs because of immigrant workers... put restriction that should be applicable to everybody.” Mr. Chandrasekhar was speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of Nasscom’s two-day GIC (Global In-house Centres) Conclave that began here on Thursday.
To queries on many countries imposing visa restrictions that are bound to impact the Indian IT companies, he said globally there is a rising trend of protectionism and anti-globalisation and it was translating into policies. Such policies were also driven by domestic concerns with regard to the growth of the economy, availability of jobs, but also tempered by the shortage of skills at high level.
The Indian IT industry, however, he said, was capable of transforming itself to the extent needed on these shifts. “It is already adapting... there are multiple ways of dealing with this,” he said., adding that the world has changed and beyond a point it is difficult for any government to roll back the whole change that has taken place.