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Nasdaq-listed iGate Corp, which was recently embroiled in a controversy over violation of Canadian immigrations norms, seeks to hire more Canadian locals and double its headcount in there.
The reported $1-billion IT services company is to create up to 500 new local jobs in Canada during the next 15-18 months, said Phaneesh Murthy, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
“It is not a new strategy, but part of our evolution in Canada. We have been creating a lot of local jobs in Canada, but have not been talking about it much,” Murthy told Business Line .
Of its 28,000-plus staffers globally, 475 work in Canada.
Last month, news reports pointed out that Royal Bank of Canda (RBC) was replacing about 50 employees with temporary foreign workers from its outsourcing vendor iGate.
The disclosures created quite a furore, prompting Canada to further probe the matter.
Canada’s recent move to implement changes in its visa regime for temporary foreign workers is being seen by many as a direct fallout of the iGate-RBC controversy. The modifications are to increase the time and costs associated with the procurement of temporary work permits.
Murthy maintains iGate’s hiring practises were “fully compliant” with the Canadian law.
“We did not take away Canadian jobs. If anything, we have created new jobs. Outsourcing helps companies become more competitive globally, giving them new cost points to work with. The competitive advantage translates into growth, as a result of which new jobs are created,” he said.
Murthy believes the new changes to Canada’s temporary foreign worker programme will not deter iGate from investing more in Canada. The arrangement with RBC also continues to be on track as scheduled.
“We have been a strong partner for RBC for several years now, and we believe that both parties have benefited from this association,” said Murthy.
Internship programme
The company is looking at investing in employee engagement and training programmes in Canada. An internship programme targeting Canadian students is also on the cards.
“We are thinking of having a co-opt programme as part of which Canadian students would be mentored by our staff. We intend to train them in emerging technologies,” Murthy said.
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