CRISIL, a global analytical company providing ratings, research, and risk and policy advisory services, in its latest report has said profitability of Information Technology (IT) companies is likely to be impacted by adverse policies like the one on H1-B visas in the key US market, with margins estimated to narrow by up to 0.80 per cent in current financial year (FY20). Though, ratings agency said revenues are set to rise by 7-8 per cent in dollar terms for the over $180 billion industry in FY20 on the back of faster growth in digital services.
It is expecting the industry's operating margins will narrow by 0.30-0.80 per cent largely on an increase in local hires which the industry has been forced into due to the policy framework in its markets. It said nearly 65 per cent of the operating expenses for an IT player are towards employees, adding that the same grew by a faster clip of 17 per cent for tier-I players in FY2018-19 as against 6 per cent earlier. It highlighted that ever since the US government tightened its H1-B visa policy in 2017, challenges have mounted for the sector as Indian-origin employees were the largest consumers of H1-B visas at 63 per cent of initial employment.
The US reduced both the number of visas available and also set a minimum floor of salary to be offered, making it difficult for the Indian IT sector. Typically, an Indian-origin employee with an H1-B visa would cost 20 per cent lower than hiring the same talent locally. Besides, it mentioned lower unemployment of under 2 per cent in the US technology sector as against an overall unemployment of under 4 per cent means talent availability is limited and it will lead to higher costs, adding profits will continue to be under pressure in the future as well.
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