At a time when COVID-19 has brought upon people the work from home (WHF) culture, mainly for IT professionals, a vast majority of IT professionals from the coastal region working in bigger cities and even foreign countries have said that they were willing to relocate to their native places, provided they get better opportunities.
At the same time, fresh graduates too were willing to work closer to their home towns if they get better job opportunities locally rather than moving to bigger cities, revealed a survey conducted between December 9 and December 19.
Though the survey commissioned by the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mangaluru, to gauge response from professionals towards the proposed IT Park on KEONICS land in the city, it revealed the overall mood of professionals and their priorities.
Of the 2,240 respondents, 96 % professionals said that they were willing to relocate to Mangaluru or Udupi if better work opportunities were available. The survey was conducted in association with Confederation of Indian Industries and some IT companies, said KCCI president Issac Vas.
While rooting for their home town, the respondents gave top weightage to better work-life balance (74 %) rather than recreational opportunities (34 %). A majority preferred to give more time to family, staying closer to parents and career growth than recreation.
If they were to get good job opportunities locally, 94 % of graduates were willing to work closer to their home towns rather than migrating to bigger cities. Those working in senior positions such as managers, research and development professionals too (95 % of the respondents) said that they would relocate to the coastal region given a chance. If there were good job opportunities in smaller cities and towns, 87 % of respondents were willing to move out of bigger cities, the survey revealed.
While many IT companies located in commercial complexes were unable to carry out their operations because of cost escalation, KCCI has been asking the government to facilitate construction of an IT Park on the land earmarked by Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. (KEONICS). It has also submitted a detailed project report for the park estimated to cost around ₹ 60 crore to the government. KEONICS and Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. could share the cost equally on revenue sharing model, the chamber has said.
