No discrimination in hiring IT employees: Govt

IT and ITeS being a knowledge industry does not discriminate in recruiting employees and the hiring is done on the basis of merit and competency, the Government today said in the Rajya Sabha.

Minister of State for Communications and IT, Sachin Pilot said the IT and ITES industry has been a large generator of employment with about 2.2 million professionals directly employed by the industry, while indirect job creation is estimated at around eight million.

"Over 30 per cent of employees in the industry are women, higher than any other industry segment and a majority of the IT industry employs differently enabled people," he said answering supplementaries during Question Hour.

To a supplementary on many IT professionals complaining of stress disorders, the minister said there have been a few incidences of such disorders, but these, he said, were more lifestyle related diseases. No reliable statistical data were available in this regard.

Communications and IT Minister A Raja said though there is no substantive proof of IT professionals suffering from such disorders due to work stress, a health ministry survey on the issue said that there is are no instances of IT professionals suffering from chronic diseases due to work stress.

On the issue of providing proper work hours and holidays to BPO employees, he said these are largely regulated by provisions of Shops and Establishments Act of respective state governments. In case some changes were needed in the Act, the government was ready to discuss it.