Lost tech job in US layoffs? Indian IT cos may hire you

Tapping Skillset

- Startups with sound cash flow count this as a good time for picking right talent

- It's mandatory that retrenched people with H1B Visa should leave US within 60 days

- Laid-off people are actively looking at employment opportunities in the US and back home in India

Bengaluru: Indian technology firms including startups are mulling to recruit engineers with niche skillsets who had been the victim of mass layoffs done by Twitter, Meta and Amazon.

Some companies are exploring ways to hire these talents in India who are likely to come back after their H1B visa expiry. Sources in the know said Indian IT firms are also likely to hire these engineering talents in the US given the difficulties in H1B visa permit.

"We are looking at this option. In India, we are always in search of niche engineering talent and if some engineers can relocate from the US and other geographies, we will look at it," Ashish Saxena, Indian Business Unit head of UrbanPiper told Bizz Buzz.

UrbanPiper is a full stack restaurant management platform, which counts Zomato and Swiggy as its investors along with others.

Not only Indian startups, even many US-based startups have also started evaluating prospects of hiring these people who have been affected by the mass layoffs. Though startups that are reliant on external funding for growth have stopped hiring good talent, many of the established startups with sound cash flow count this as a good time for onboarding people with special skillsets.

Meanwhile, sources in the know said that US units of many Indian IT firms are also looking at onboarding these affected workers. Currently, many Indian IT firms are struggling to send engineers on H1B visa due to heavy backlog and slow processing of visa applications. "Informally, people are connecting with these engineers, many of whom have described their ordeal in the US on many professional social media platforms. Given that they have valid H1B visa, some of these people are likely to be hired," said a source working in HR domain.

Due to mass layoffs by global technology firms like Meta, Amazon, Twitter, and Microsoft among others, many of their staffers who have gone there in H1B visa have lost their jobs. Though the number of the affected people is not known, it is substantial given that global technology giants hire many Indian engineers to drive growth and innovation.

Many of these engineers are in the US on H1B visa. As the current rule makes it mandatory to leave US within 60 days after losing their jobs, these people are actively looking at employment opportunities in the US and back home in India.

Experts said that the current norm of finding a job in 60 days is not enough to get a new employer given the prevailing job market. Therefore, many of these engineers have to come back home for employment opportunities, they added.

We are looking at this option. In India, we are always in search of niche engineering talent and if some engineers can relocate from the US and other geographies, we will look at it

-- Ashish Saxena, Indian Business Unit head of UrbanPiper