New Delhi: Unfazed by the global economic slowdown, India's IT and ITES sectors plan to continue hiring in the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2008. A survey conducted by HR consulting firm Manpower said that a majority of companies would continue their hiring process in the fourth quarter.

Conducted among a total of 1,098 companies across the IT, ITES and BPO space, the survey indicated that India had a net employment outlook of 57 percent - about 58 percent of respondents anticipated an increase in employment, while one percent reported a decrease in hiring. Another 26 percent said they expect no change in their hiring intent, while the rest did not comment.

Manpowersays that the ongoing hiring in the sector can be attributed to the upcoming IT & ITES special economic zones in the country. "The emergence of new pricing models, innovative business, global delivery networks and expanded BPO services (knowledge and legal process outsourcing) are also contributing to the growth of the industry," said a release issued by the HR consulting firm.

India is also leading in terms of creating employment in the services sector in the Asia-Pacific region. India's employment outlook for the entire services sector, including IT and ITES, stood at 47 percent for the fourth quarter this year, while it was 15-21 percent for countries such as Australia, China, New Zealand, Taiwan and Singapore. Hong Kong has an employment outlook of 32 percent in the services sector.