Over the past two years India has seen a reduction in GDP growth from 10% to 6.5%, so while the economy is still growing and it remains an exciting market, for most organisations it has felt like recession. Many recruitment businesses have downsized their permanent workforce in the past year, the time-to-hire has increased and the country hasn’t experienced any real skill shortages that might have given some respite to recruiters. Although there is still scrutiny over new hires, since the elections in May there has been a considerable improvement in confidence. India is attractive to recruiters because it remains a prominent location for business process outsourcing (BPO) given that it has a highly educated, English-speaking workforce, available at a comparatively low cost. The recruitment of start-up teams for international organisations continues, particularly for companies from Continental Europe, Australia, South-East Asia and the UK. There has been a noticeable upturn in the requirement for business intelligence skills and for professionals with experience in renewable energy. The automotive sector has also started to pick up, fuelled by growth of the domestic automobile market. The professional domestic workforce also helps to fill skill shortages in other countries, such as healthcare in the UK.