Working in India: the complete guide | lepetitjournal.com

How to get a job in India? What are the administrative formalities to complete to come to work in India? How are Indians in the world of work? lepetitjournal.com offers you a complete guide to what you need to know to work in India.

The job market in India

Until 2016, India was a country in full economic expansion with high growth while Europe was stagnant (8.2% in 2016). But, from 2017, Indian growth started to decelerate and had halved by 2019.

The Covid-19 health crisis has strongly affected the Indian economy: in March 2020, the government announced strict confinement, the cessation of all non-essential activities and passenger transport in the country and internationally. This period, which lasted almost two months, led to a decline in the economy between April and June 2020 (-24%, one of the highest rates in the world for this period).

Since July 2020, the country has regained a growth rate and the Central Bank of India (RBI) forecasts a growth of 9.5% for the fiscal year 2021-2022 (the Indian fiscal year is from April to March) and 7.5% for the following fiscal year.

However, even though overall job vacancies fell by 60%, the impact varied greatly depending on the sector: the fields of IT and IT services as well as the banking sector did not never stopped hiring, on the other hand the tourism, hospitality and air transport sector) and that of real estate recorded a dizzying drop of 70%.

The decrease in job vacancies affected all hierarchical levels and the most active major cities before Covid such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai suffered a greater shock.

Today, the IT and IT services sector as well as the banking sector are still the sectors that hire the most. In other areas, the trend is rather one of expectation and more particularly in the tourism sector, which expects a lot from the reopening of tourist visas scheduled for November 15, 2021.

Visas that allow you to work in India

In general, two categories of visa allow you to work in India:

Other visas intended for specific sectors also allow you to work:

These visas are detailed on the website of the Ministry of the Interior, foreigners division (Minister of Home Affairs, Foreigners division)

All other visas do not allow working in India. The mention “not valid for employment” is affixed to the visa.

The employment visa

You must have an employment contract to be able to apply for an employment visa.

The employment visa is granted to people who hold a diploma and who bring skills not available in India. Except for a few sectors of activity (embassies, language teachers, translators, etc.), a minimum annual salary threshold is required to apply for this visa, it is currently 1,625,000 rupees or 18,800 euros.

The visa is issued either for a period ranging from 1 year to 5 years depending on the type of mission or for the duration of the employment contract, it is the shorter period that counts. The visa is renewable on the spot

Registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) of the city of one's place of work (the Foreigners Registration Centre) is mandatory for visas over 180 days.

The visa is renewable on the spot at the end of the expiry of its first period of validity on an annual basis and always according to the duration of the employment contract.

The business visa

The business visa is intended for all foreigners who come on a mission for a limited period in India. Its validity period can be up to 5 years but the duration of a stay in India should not exceed 180 days.

Legislation and rules regarding visas are subject to change, it is strongly recommended to check on the Indian Ministry of Interior website.

Labor contracts and salaries in India

As in France, the employment contract can be of limited or unlimited duration (permanent contract).

Please note, beyond a period of residence in India of between 2 and 3 years (note: exact duration counted in the number of days spent on Indian territory according to a precise rule fixed in the tax law), foreigners are considered as “ Resident Ordinarily Resident (ROR)” by the Indian tax authorities and are taxed in India on all their worldwide income. Most of the large private companies hire tax specialists to prepare the tax returns of their foreign employees who have been in India for more than 3 years.

Since 2021, employers are increasingly asking their future employees to be double vaccinated against Covid-19.

Salaries vary according to the sectors of activity, the size of the company and the type of position. But, since 2021, the trend would be downward except in the IT and IT services sector.

Working conditions in India

Hours worked and paid holidays

The working week is 5 days in most private companies and 6 days for administrations and banks.

The working day is at least 8 hours with generally 1 hour break for lunch which is not included in the 8 hours. Indians in senior positions are mostly “hard” workers and it is not uncommon for them to continue to log on to their email even after returning home.

Paid leave is generally 12 days, but the conditions vary according to companies and sectors. In private companies in the tertiary sector, the average paid leave is rather 24 days.

Medical coverage, health insurance, retirement…

The principle of sick leave does not exist in India, employees who are sick and cannot come to work consume days on their quota of paid leave.

There is no social coverage like in France except for people with a very low salary. In this case, they benefit from a program of the national government which gives them access to public hospitals.

Most large private companies provide health coverage for their employees by purchasing health insurance which, according to employers, can cover in addition to the employee, the spouse and one or two children. This serves as a company promotion tool for recruiters.

If the company does not offer satisfactory health coverage, the employee will need to purchase health insurance.

Most large private companies also offer life insurance and accident insurance for their employees which represents a set amount of the employee's monthly/annual salary.

Unions

Trade unions are present only in the industrial sector and in agriculture. Trade unions are poorly represented in the tertiary sector.

Working environment

India is a vast country comprising very diverse regions with varied languages ​​and cultures. The linguistic diversity of India is the first example: there is not one national language but 22 official languages ​​according to the Indian Constitution.

Even if the feeling of belonging to the Indian nation is strong, the Indians first come from a region and are attached to the habits and customs of this region: language, festivals, dishes...

Indians are generally welcoming and quick to help newcomers. Their integration into the company is going well in most cases.

For most Indians, asking direct questions about the age of their interlocutor or their salary is quite normal, whereas it is much less so in French culture.

Find work in India

Unlike some countries, as a foreigner (except for people with OCI (Overseas Citizen of India and Japanese) status, one cannot travel to India without a visa. to perform outside India except for persons already holding a visa, but whose employment contract expires soon.

Websites to find a job

The main sites used by recruiters and companies are:

Jobs for the French in India

Most large French companies are present in India, and in particular IT service companies such as Cap Gemini, the three major French banks (BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Société Générale), car manufacturers (Renault, PSA, etc.), large industrial companies...

The France-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) has developed a “Human Resources and Recruitment” service on which you can submit a job application and consult offers from member companies (French and Indian).

The French high schools in Mumbai, Delhi and Pondicherry and the Franco-Indian school in Chennai are a good opportunity to work in the field of teaching and education as well as some international schools in major Indian cities.

It is also possible to do an International Volunteering in Business (VIE) in India. The condition specific to this country is to have been a graduate for less than a year.

Work in India without a degree

It is practically mission impossible, local companies are looking for people with skills not present on Indian territory and, in particular, people who have completed a master's degree.

In addition, the employment visa is not granted for positions that do not require diplomas, this is clearly stipulated in the directives of the Ministry of the Interior.

Working in India without speaking English

The two languages ​​used by the national government are Hindi and English, most states also use a local language: Marathi in Maharashtra, Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Malayalam in Kerala...

It is quite possible to work in India without speaking the language of the state in which one works, but it is almost impossible to come to work in India without speaking English.