r2i forum

hi all,

i just found out that NASSCOM in India has started a National "Skills" registry where it is trying (and succeeding) to register all IT employees in India. Many big companies have already joined this registry meaning their employees' information is in this db already!

The reason for creating this "SKILLS" registry? Security! - this is the official answer provided by NASSCOM - but I wonder why they named it as skills registry though! If I have misgivings about government holding my private data (my skills, employment history, etc) - why should my information be kept in this PRIVATE database?

here are the salient features as listed in their website (https://nationalskillsregistry.com/):

# All Indian employees will be registered - !!!!

# No new employee will be hired without being a part of the registry - So it becomes compulsary if you need a job in private IT companies.

# The data is 'owned by the employee'. Only the employee can authorise a potential employer to view his/her information. Confidentiality and privacy are, thus, assured.
- This is the biggest joke! I dont have control over whether I have to be in this db or not! If I have to be in private IT companies in India I have to provide my information (see above). Then how do I own the data? The only control I have? - to start my own company or join a govt organisation.

# No employer can, on their own, add anything to the registry except purely factual data. - how is this "purely factual data" defined? as recorded by my manager, my peers? How can I ask a question to my manager knowing that he can write "asked too many questions" in this registry?

# Employers and employees can request for background checks by reputed agencies, with employees being able to view the results of the checks - They are going to run background check on employees in the name of security. OK, but is it possible for any employee to find out how secure the prospective company is? what about racial, sexual harresment history in company. What about the list of any IT frauds, outstanding cases, etc against the company?

If i sound paranoid, please think twice. This is just the start . All big companies have already joined this registry (including dell, ibm, tcs, infosys, wipro, etc). Private companies are finally showing their true colours and are proving that they are out to get money anyway. if they can get it by blackmailing employees by holding their private information, they are ready to do it.

What do I see as a solution? Unions. As our US IT colleagues are realising now, having unions and protecting our interests is the only way to fight back.

and for those who hate unions (convinced by the continued attack on unions by press/media - which are owned by big companies), please remember that 5 day work week, 8 hour work day are all products of labour movements and unions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_hour_day). Before the labour movement, private companies were exploiting workers - and the story remains the same today. also what is NASSCOM if not a union of IT company owners? If they can form a union, why cant we?

I completely concur.

The gravest concerns here are,
1. Nasscom says they want to build this registry to assure the foreign clients that their data is intact. What is the assurance for Indian IT people that their private data will be kept intact and safe?:mad:

2. This is how credit bureaus in the US started. In time this skills registry will be completely controlled by NASSCOM and the companies, so that the employees will have no say on what should be there. Isnt this a way to keep the employees under control?

3. Why is this called SKILLS registry? Are they planning to have just my name and my skills? Of course not. They will have my employment history as well as private information so that the companies can assure their foreign clients that they have all details about me.

4. One purpose they state is that they can find bloated resumes. So who validates employment history of an IT employee registering now? Is it not going to be whatever the employee says? Who is going to do the background checks? What assurance they have tha the firm doing background check cannot be manipulated?

5. NO other industry (probably other than Govt/defense) requires background check in India. Why is IT special?

6. How does the employee correct any false information? As the OP said, who is to validate what my manager says about me? If it comes to my word against the company's word, what will go on record?

Finally, why do they need a profile on an IT employee at all? This is being sold as (a) security to foreign clients and (b) way for companies to weed out bloated resumes. We know that (a) can never be achieved in India since the system can be easily manipulated and (b) is not necessary when companies have a good interview process. If you know what you are looking for in an employee, why cant companies figure that out in interviews? If interviews dont have that depth, why have one at all?

It is sad to see that Indian IT employees are signing up for this like sheep. :(


About unions: In India even talking about starting IT union probably will get you killed, but setting up national "skills" registry will be done as the companies want it badly.

I think that one benefit for the employers would be to see if the prospective employee has been jumping companies too many times for a few more thousands. This they hope would help reduce the risk of their projects.
While the concern is valid, I too don't think that the solution is to keep a registry.
It might make sense to do something like this for sensitive areas (not just IT or IT employees) like credit card handling, other sensitive data handling.
Even then, it does not seem right.

So what as IT employees wanting to take the best advantage of the growth in India to do. Form a lobby? Problem is that the situation could tilt the other way (like what many complain about the public schools' teachers union in the US).

Striking a balance is hard, but forming a Lobby would help keep some sort of balance, and hope it doesn't choke the advantage of India as the IT outsourcing hub.

Like all other nascomm initiatives this one will fall flat too. Some hacker will hack into it and there will be a hullaboo and they will shut it down.

One thing that surprises me is that Indian Big 4 companies always want to hire a person with clean resumes and credentials. However, if they want to place their employees to their US clients, they fake their resumes so much in order to get a project. Why this double standards:rolleyes:

what does NASSCOM do anyway?

To me it seems like a club of indian IT/BPO bigshots who like to play golf together, and smoke cigars while discussing the future of the industry.