Project managers in peak demand

With infrastructure development in focus, the demand for project managers in India is set to soar. The ongoing projects in infrastructure, highways and power, among others, need professionals with an assortment of skills to help improve the project performance on parameters like managing costs and deadlines, achieving value and mitigating risks. "When businesses become technical, you need thorough professionals to handle them and more so, when you are initiating a project. That's why project management in the kick-off stage is the order of the day," says B.K. Mundhra, Chairman, Simplex Projects. Going by the current trend, very soon there will be more project managers than MBAs, he adds.

Fact Box

Who's hiring: Shapoorji Pallonji & Co, Simplex Projects, DLF, L&T, CESC and a host of other companies

Who're they hiring: MBAs, engineers and finance professionals with a minimum of two to three years experience in project management.

At what level: Entry level and mid-level recruitments are the most common.

At what salaries: Project managers with two to three years of experience can get Rs 6 lakh p.a. The CTC can go up to Rs 25 lakh p.a., at mid- to senior-levels.

What are the numbers like: According to a recent study by the US-based Project Management Institute, India will need over one lakh project managers over the next five years.