Shell has opened its in-house IT centre in Bengaluru and plans to recruit 1,000 people by this year-end.
Addressing reporters company officials said that it will hire several thousand by 2020 but did not specify the exact number.
Interestingly, this workforce addition is coming at a time when Shell has started discussions with employees in Australia about job reductions, according to reports, as a part of its plans to cut 10,300 jobs worldwide to lower costs.
However, the company has ambitious plans for the India centre. Jay Crotts, Chief Information Officer, Royal Dutch Shell, said: “The talent in the Indian market is attractive for Shell’s operations at the global level.”
Currently, Shell has around 900 employees and the new centre will have the capacity to seat 2,300 executives. Further, this centre has the capacity to seat more, as per needs, executives said.
Yasmine Hilton, Chairman, Shell Companies in India, said that it is keen to invest in this market and grow the IT skills required for tomorrow. Crotts added that abundance of skill and talent availability were one of the key reasons to set up a centre in India.
“We have had positive offshoring experience in India, which has reinforced our belief in the availability of talent in this market,” added Hilton. Apart from Bengaluru, Shell has Projects & Technology (P&T) centres in Amsterdam, Houston and IT centres at Houston, Hague and London and Bengaluru.