India Inc promises achche din in 2015, plans to hire more, pay more

In preparation for 'achche din' promised by the new government, India Inc has big plans for 2015 when it comes to hiring people and doling out pay hikes.

On the platter for the job market, the companies are promising an estimated 3-5 lakh new jobs, an increase of 15-20 per cent in headcount and average pay hike of 10-12 per cent that can go up to 30 per cent for certain roles and sectors.

These ambitious plans, which experts mostly attribute to an upsurge in business sentiments since the new government took over around middle of the year, would make 2015 a much better year for the job market than 2014. According to various human resource firms and job consultancy organisations, Indian companies recorded an average hiring growth of 10-12 per cent in 2014, while salary hikes stood at about 8-10 per cent. With the economy showing signs of an upturn and the positivity continuing in the business sentiment, the experts believe that the hiring activities should get only better and the companies would dole out double-digit salary hike to attract the right talent.

The job market may get a further boost if foreign firms come to set shop here after certain sectors are opened up for further overseas investments, as promised by the government. According to the global human resource solution provider, Aon Hewitt, the average salary increase for 2014 as projected by over 500 organisations in India stood at 10 per cent, with a range of 8.8 per cent to 12 per cent across industries.

Global major HayGroup says that the companies in India are likely to dole out an average pay hike of 10.5 per cent in 2015 — much better than many other countries in Asia.