Date:05/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/05/stories/2009010557400300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Economic crisis and the homecoming

Petlee Peter and Liffy Thomas

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Fall-out: Kannan Kumar, who recently returned from various foreign assignments, says career opportunities are aplenty in India.

Chennai: Architect R. Priya, who lives in Bloomington in Illinois in the U.S., found that her recent visit to India required a plenty of planning. Her travel agent warned that she would have to book her tickets at least two weeks in advance, not two or three days as she usually did, as flights to India were heavily booked.

The reason: People are being asked to go on ‘forced’ holidays by their employers who are affected by the recession.

Ms. Priya says, “Our Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Chennai was overbooked... I understand if it was a few days before Christmas or when the Margazhi music season was at its peak, but I was travelling post these events. A couple of passengers on-board said that recession was taking its toll on many NRIs, who were returning home as it is expensive to stay abroad without a job.”

“People who have H1 B visa are the worst-affected. They can work only for one employer, so if there is a job cut they leave with the hope that things would get better soon,” adds Ms. Priya.

Kannan Kumar, who has worked as an aircraft maintenance engineer for 28 years in various countries, feels that he has made the right decision in returning to India.

“Last November I decided to return to Chennai and work here as I could foresee the economic gloom in U.A.E. Even though the corporate aviation sector wasn’t hit then, businesses and development around me was coming to a standstill,” says Mr. Kumar, a former director of aircraft maintenance, Dana Executive Jets, Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E.

He said that the job opportunities in India are better.

Chennai-based animation professional C. Anthony Joseph had been planning to shift to Dubai to join his wife, who was employed there.

They were married in August and Joseph wanted to move as soon as he found a job there. But the recession has forced him to put all plans on hold.

Joseph says, “I even went to Dubai recently in search of a job, but could not find one. Firms I approached told me that they have stopped recruitment due to economic slowdown and I also came to know that many Indians there are on the verge of losing jobs.”

Even those who continue with their jobs abroad have to put up with a cut in salary or no increments, he added.