Dell May Add Staff in India

Dell Inc. plans to double the number of its employees in India to 20,000 in three years, Chairman Michael Dell said Monday, as the personal computer maker beefs up its presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.

Although most of the new hiring will be made at the company’s call centers, there also will be substantial recruitment at its product testing center and a possible manufacturing plant.

The Round Rock, Texas-based company operates four call centers in India, a product testing center for corporate customers and a global software development center. Some 10,000 people are employed at these facilities.

“We will double our staff from the current level over the next three years,” Dell said in Bangalore, India’s technology hub.

“There is a fantastic opportunity to attract talent [here]. We will ensure a major recruitment push in engineering talents,” he said.

In Texas, however, Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn said that 10,000 new jobs was an optimistic number that was largely dependent on the company’s growth predictions.