Sumit Bagchi (name changed on request) has learnt about the economic downturn the hard way.

Even a few months back, the going was good for the student of Jadavpur University (JU), with an appointment letter from a leading information technology (IT) company in his pocket. He could join straight after his graduation in June, he was told by the Sector V firm.

June 2008 has now become January 2009 with the joining date being deferred by the downturn.

Bagchi is joined by scores of engineering students graduating from leading campuses whose first-job prospects look uncertain with the IT industry, the biggest recruiters from such institutes, going into wait-and-watch mode.

Nearly a dozen students of Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu) in Shibpur who were to join an IT major this July have been kept on hold till June 2009.

“More and more companies are deferring the joining dates of students they had selected in campus interviews last year. Instances of IT companies deferring joining dates were first noticed in 2006, but it has become a trend now after the global financial crisis,” said Manas Sanyal, the placement officer of Besu.

The pushback of joining dates has left students and teachers in institutes like JU and Besu jittery. “The situation has not gone out of control yet, but it is going to be a matter of serious concern if the crisis persists. There was a similar placement problem after 9/11 when engineering students had to sit idle for months after graduating despite having been recruited,” said Siddhartha Dutta, the pro vice chancellor of JU.

“Joining dates are being deferred by at least six months…. How long do we wait before starting to hunt for other jobs?” wondered an engineering student of JU placed with a Sector V biggie.

Companies shying away from the campus recruitment process is the next cause of concern. According to sources in JU, Goldman Sachs that was poised to make its recruitment debut on campus has decided to cry off.

Placement cells in private tech and B-schools are keeping their fingers crossed. “Many companies are supposed to start recruiting when our institute reopens after the Puja holidays. We will know by December how things are going,” said Dipak Chatterjee, the principal of Institute of Engineering and Management.

The private engineering college in Salt Lake has decided to launch a damage-control programme urging students to look beyond software options. “We are trying to divert their attention to companies engaged in manufacturing embedded technology-based products,” said Chatterjee.