What has the pandemic meant for the overseas recruitment industry?

When the lockdown in India was announced on 24 March 2020, it brought the massive, once-thriving, and crucial overseas recruitment industry to a standstill. International movement stopped completely, existing candidatures were frozen, and migrant workers across the world (especially in the Gulf) were desperate to come home. In the weeks that followed, internal consultations with the industry eventually led to the Ministry of External Affairs launching Vande Bharat for the repatriation of Indians across the world. especially in major destination countries.

In the face of this practically unprecedented reverse migration, a shock to the international labour market that has never been seen before, and the prospect of more change in the coming months, the overseas recruiting industry faces some serious challenges. In July, our team covered these issues in an article for Indiaspend.

VIEWS FROM THE INDUSTRY

“Business has been shut for most of 2020 and this may continue for the rest of the year. Agencies are facing issues of cash-flow.”- Safwan Yusuf Shaikh, head of IT Cell, Indian Personnel Export Promotion Council (IPEPCIL), a major RA federation.

“The second phase of this lockdown will take many months to wind down and will involve a trickle of candidates heading back to the Middle East. Re-hiring based on actual economic growth and new projects could be several months or years away.” - Amit Saxena, Ambe International (an RA), and Director at the Federation of Indian Emigrants Management Councils & Associations (FIMCA), a major RA federation.

OTHER UPDATES

….in case you missed it.

In the Wake of COVID 19: Return Migrants to India (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)

How Construction Industry Got Away With Not Paying Workers In Lockdown

The Indian Himalayan Migration Region: A Lesser Known Migration Story

WATCH: IMN on urban livelihoods and challenges (India Livelihoods Collective)

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