The dream of ‘Bangalore Days’ continues to hold sway over youngsters from the State looking for a career in information technology (IT) even as the government is making all-out efforts to pitch Kerala as a preferred IT destination.
IT Principal Secretary P.H. Kurian says the garden city continues to woo youngsters keen on an IT career even as the State government tries to retain the local workforce. While Kochi has emerged as an attractive destination, that cannot be said of the rest of the State, with Bangalore or Chennai being the favourite.
“Parents as well as children want to start their career in these cities, while there is almost an equal urge to return home after five or 10 years. Better prospects for getting a stint in the U.S. and greater possibility of finding a new job are cited as reasons for preferring these cities,” Mr. Kurian says.
Joseph C. Mathew, IT Adviser to the former Chief Minister, cites the higher pay structure as a major factor attracting youngsters to Bangalore. He says the need is to offer quality support facilities and put an end to the practice of using the IT workforce as a bargaining chip to push vested interests.
“What they need is not night clubs and bars, as has been made out, but round-the-clock services such as coffee shops and eateries that serve them when they step out after work at odd timings or a grocery store near their workplace,” Mr. Mathew says.
Pranav Kumar Suresh, CEO, Startup Village, while admitting that Bangalore still has the edge in terms of career prospects, is upbeat about a turnaround.
“The IT industry’s shift in focus to product start-ups and the State government’s policy intervention promoting start-ups will see a reverse migration to Kerala in another three to five years. Product start-ups do not need the ecosystem of a full-fledged metro, and places such as Kochi will emerge the best destination by offering the comfort of a metro at a much-reduced cost of living. In fact, with Internet-dominated production and distribution, location will become irrelevant,” Mr. Suresh says.