Mangel an qualifizierten Arbeitskräften

S. hat mir einen Artikel aus der Times zugeschickt, der meines Erachtens sehr treffend ist.

Skill shortage hampers India

Education in the emerging economy cannot keep up with new technologies, reports Amrit Dhillon from Mumbai

WEIGHED DOWN by antiquated labour laws, shabby infrastructure and half-hearted economic reforms, India is now grappling with a tricky problem that will take a generation to solve: an acute shortage of skilled workers.

How can this be when half the 1.2 billion population is below the age of 25? Given that India has 40m unemployed, why are human-resources chiefs going crazy trying to hire people? India churns out 3.6m graduates every year. But industry estimates indicate that only a quarter are employable. In the first such survey, the India Science Report said recently that 63% of unemployed graduates are science graduates.


“It’s not lack of demand for them. They are just unemployable. India’s poor human capital is a real problem that will hinder economic growth,” said Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a member of the new Knowledge Commission set up by the government to improve Indian brainpower.

People in the IT industry are even more savage. Some call-centre managers say only one in 10 graduates is worth taking on.

“Just look at their communication skills,” said an exasperated Mumbai call-centre manager as he brandished letters written by employees. “As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week’s leave,” read one. Another said: “I am in well here and hope you are also in the same well.”

Fluency in English apart, industrialists complain that graduates lack clear reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, analytical skills, teamwork and creativity.

Author VS Naipaul was being his usual provocative self when he remarked recently that India had more than a billion people but no thinkers. Sociologists say that Indian culture discourages experimentation and curiosity.

This may seem a theoretical deficiency but it is a very practical problem for Mohan Rao, head of Spectrum Power in Hyderabad, which sets up power stations and plant for washing the coal that fuels them.

“I can’t find project managers. The people I’ve tried can’t think for themselves or work out answers. I don’t mind if they fail, but at least they should try, instead of running to me all the time,” said Rao.

This is why big companies such as Tata Consultancy, Wipro, Infosys, Hindustan Lever, Reliance, and ITC run virtual in-house universities to train graduates who ought to require only minimal induction or familiarisation training before becoming productive.

New Delhi-based Alok Brara, publisher of technical magazines, hires only post-graduates from the Delhi School of Economics. He doesn’t “waste” his time with graduates. “The system here is exam-orientated. Instead of learning throughout the year, students cram at exam time so they haven’t really followed the curriculum or even attended lectures regularly,” said Brara.

The skills shortage is reflected in the pay rises that Indian industry is giving to retain staff. A survey by the global human-resources firm Hewitt Associates said that last year Indians in white-collar jobs had an average pay increase of 13.7% — the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.

Western companies are increasingly outsourcing legal work, architectural work, medical research, biotechnology-related research, financial analysis, and market research to India. But what needs to be addressed is the poor quality of teaching, from primary schools to higher education — although some, such as the Institutes of Management and the Institutes of Technology, are world class.

It is often said that India’s biggest advantage as it attempts to keep up the momentum of its economic growth is that it has the largest and youngest workforce in the world.

“This force is only an asset if it is educated and skilled,” said Sam Pitroda, chairman of the Knowledge Commission. “Otherwise growth will slacken, unemployment will go up, and lots of frustrated young men will start burning things. There will be chaos and we’ll be left behind.”