US-based design and consultancy giant Aecom plans to hire 1,500 more staff in India following last month’s national budget, which set aside billions for new infrastructure.
"We will be hiring professional local talent in India," the company’s global chairman and chief executive, Michael S Burke (pictured), told reporters in Delhi. "They are expected to be engineering professionals, architects and planners. This is very much part of Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India vision."
Last month Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley released the first full budget since Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a huge majority in national elections in May 2014. It included an increase of 700 billion rupees ($11.4 billion) in investments on roads, railways and other infrastructure.
The government also announced a reduction in corporate tax from 30% to 25% over the next four years, starting next fiscal year.
Aecom now has 2,500 employees located across eight offices in India, where it has been since 2009.
According to newspaper The Hindu, Aecom is working on all of the 10 largest infrastructure projects currently underway in the country.
"Aecom is committed to India and is in a strong position to help Prime Minister Modi and the Indian government achieve the infrastructure vision for the country," said Burke, who was on his first visit to the country.
Aecom announced the opening of the "Aecom Academy" in Saudi Arabia on 5 March (Aecom)
The Aecom Academy officially opened today, marking a major commitment by Aecom to train and invest in the national workforce of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Funded entirely by Aecom, the academy will deliver training, professional development and internships to equip graduates with the technical skills and business acumen required to deliver complex infrastructure projects in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia…
In keeping with the theme of hiring local talent, earlier this month Aecom announced the opening of the "Aecom Academy" in Saudi Arabia to help Saudi nationals benefit from that country’s infrastructure boom.Â
The company said that around 140 graduates have enrolled in the three-year programme, including 20 female students. Students will have the opportunity to obtain professional qualifications in their chosen disciplines, such as engineering, design, HR and finance.
Aecom said it wants around 50% of its workforce in the country to be Saudi nationals by 2017.
