At a call centre in Sector V. A Telegraph picture

Rajat Banerjee (name changed) has pocketed the perfect pre-Diwali gift from office. The BPO executive earned Rs 14,000 extra this month by doubling as a headhunter and referring two of his friends to the HR department of his company.

Rajat is not the only one to get lucky this festive season. Several BPO executives have pocketed a recruitment bonus by scouting for skilled manpower among their circle of friends. Once such a candidate is recruited, the employee gets a cash carrot.

With the city’s IT hub facing a manpower crunch, employees wearing the hat of headhunters are coming to the rescue. According to a Wipro call centre employee, the company’s employee referral plan earmarks Rs 7,000 “for every reference that is recruited”.

“The process of recruitment is on from Monday to Friday. More then 200 aspirants walk in every day. But less then one-fifth are recruited,” says an HR executive at Wipro. “The advantage of recruiting a candidate with the reference of an existing employee is we are assured of his credentials. It also helps lower the attrition rate.”

Companies big and small are desperately seeking recruitment avenues, with most walk-in candidates not making the cut. “With private banks recruiting in large numbers and with a better pay packet, scarcity of quality manpower has hit the BPO sector hard. We had to start an employee referral scheme to recruit for our call centre,” admits Krishnendu Paul of Browse Infotech Limited, a software solution company with a call centre in Sector V.

“Measures like employee referral schemes can fill up a few posts but not help in bulk recruitment. For a steady supply of skilled manpower, the government and the industry must work in tandem,” feels Bikram Dasgupta, CEO of Globsyn Technologies.

The IT ministry is aware of the demand-supply mismatch in the BPO sector. “We are encouraging private players to start finishing schools. We are also encouraging collaborations between academic institutions and ITES companies,” says IT secretary Sidharth.