Business Lead - Dell on a hiring spree

Posted by Jim Stroud

March 28, 2006

Dell, the world’s largest maker of personal computers, plans to double the size of its work force in India, to 20,000, and is looking for a site for its manufacturing unit in the country, the company’s chairman, Michael S. Dell, said on Monday.

“There is a fantastic opportunity to attract talent,” Mr. Dell said, referring to the country’s workers, many of whom are educated in technological fields and speak English. “We will ensure a major recruitment push in engineering talents,” he said at a news conference during a visit to Bangalore, India’s outsourcing capital.

Dell has four call centers in India, where the bulk of its 10,000 employees work, as well as software development and product testing centers.

The company plans to double its hardware engineering staff to 600 in a year, Mr. Dell said.

The statement by Dell comes after similar announcements by Microsoft and Cisco Systems, which plan to double and triple their work forces in India.

READ: Dell to Double India Work Force