Outsourcing to India? The Statistics on India's Huge Talent Pool
- 350 million people in India speak English. This figure will continue to rise and India’s success in the outsourcing industry is primarily credited to the fluency with which Indians speak English.
- 3.1 million students graduate from Indian universities annually in a wide spectrum of different professions. From software programming to law and accounts, India caters to the entire outsourcing market.
- India produces 500,000 engineering graduates annually. In 2008-09, there were 2,297 engineering colleges in India. This is why India is the premier outsourcing destination for software programming and engineering.
- India produces 300,000 annual post graduates.
- Nearly 60 per cent of India's population is between the age of 15-59, and more than half below the age of 25. Since the outsourcing industry mostly employs young professionals, India's young population has an advantage over other outsourcing destinations.
- India's higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China, and the United States.
- One of the leading outsourcing players is IBM, who currently employs around 75,000 employees in India.
- Every year, approximately 19 million students are enrolled in high schools and 10 million students in pre-graduate degree courses across India.
- As of 2009, India has 20 central universities, 215 state universities, 100 deemed universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the State Act, and 13 institutes which are of national importance. Other institutions include 16000 colleges, including 1800 exclusive women's colleges, functioning universities and institutions.
- The IITs enroll about 8000 students annually, and the alumni have contributed to the growth of the private and public sectors, as well as outsourcing of different kinds including Engineering Services Outsourcing, and Knowledge Process Outsourcing, etc.
- The total number of private and government medical colleges in India-275. The medical outsourcing sector is likely to witness sharp growth in years to come.
- In India, IT and ITES-BPO professionals have grown from 284,000 in 1999-2000 to 2.23 million in 2008-09 (excluding employment in the hardware sector)-a growth of 10.9 per cent year on year.
