Indian managers are heading multinationals in large numbers. Well-educated and brilliant, you can find them as expatriates leading multinationals in several countries. The Expat Insider 2018 survey released by Inter Nations provides some interesting data on expats. Look at the highlights:
Indians who move abroad have an average age of 36 years, 8 years younger than the global average. At a headcount of Indian expats in the Philippines, I noticed at least 8 of these heading MNCs.
The survey ranked 68 countries. Bahrain, Taiwan and Ecuador held the top three ranks, terming these countries as great for working abroad and for ease of settling in, job security and high quality of life.
India was ranked 66 with just Saudi Arabia and Kuwait behind. Expats in India enjoy a low cost of living but face long working hours and a lack of work-life balance. They are also unhappy with the quality of the environment. Low cost of living is still seen as a significant benefit.
With the vast expansion of corporate activity, there has been a corresponding expansion in the availability of quality managers in India. With the stock increasing, there has been a move away from engaging expats even by large multinationals.
The higher cost involved in hiring them is complemented by the low satisfaction levels of expats to work in India. A double whammy!
