PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2004 09:36:54 PM ]

VADODARA: Twenty-seven-year-old Sandip Shah, a network security engineer in a leading MNC quit his job in India in search of greener pastures. His destination was not the US or UK but Riyadh.
Now, after six months of his stay in the country, Sandip is not only a happy professional but also richer compared to many of his counterparts in other countries.

Riaz Ahmed (30) information security consultant, is busy shifting his family to Saudi Arabia. His career has grown leaps and bounds in a span of six months after he took up a two-year assignment for a bank in the Middle East. He will now develop technical recommendations to solve security issues, and at the same time, secure a sound bank balance, even if he plans to come back to India after two years.

Thanks to the tax-free salary and other lucrative perks offered by companies in the Gulf countries, they now seem to be giving a stiff competition to the US or Europe. Many Indian software companies have reportedly seen an upward trend in tie-ups and offshore development projects in the Gulf regions of Dubai and the UAE, say immigration consultants.

"Move over the security concerns most Indians share about the Gulf, the shift has been for the good. We have had at least 10-12 IT professionals flying to the Gulf for assignments in the last six months and there is a huge potential for IT professionals," says Nandini Tandon, vice president of Indusface in Vadodara.

"I believe there are enough opportunities for professionals in contrary to the popular belief that the Gulf is meant for the labour force," asserts Tandon. The demand for professionals has always been there however, the ongoing political disturbances is a major cause of concern.
Even the immigration consultants have kept themselves away from this sector. "We have been able to send to our partner companies on a permanent assignment as well as on consulting assignments. It is easier to get a business visa to the Middle-East for short-term projects, which can be converted to permanent work visa later. Indians are preferred to professionals from the West as it perhaps works out cheaper," adds Tandon.

Says SK Anand of Soham Immigration Consultancy: "There is definitely a demand for professionals in the Gulf countries, but it is difficult to identify genuine employers. Moreover, people have preferred to go to the US, UK or Europe and not the Middle East, owing to security concern. It is difficult to convince a client to take up even lucrative job offers."