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Starting salaries in India among lowest

Graduate Indian employees sit towards the bottom of the Asia-Pacific countries

Entry-level salaries in India are amongst the lowest in the Asia Pacific region, a study by professional services firm Towers Watson says.

The average monthly starting pay in India is around USD 400 (Rs. 24,000), less than one-fifth of the equivalent paid in South Korea and Singapore, said the study by Towers Watson’s Data Services.

Graduate Indian employees sit towards the bottom of the Asia Pacific countries in terms of starting salary, it said, adding that it augurs well for the ‘Make in India’ campaign as this would give the MNCs a competitive advantage over other Asia-Pac countries. “Although dependent on prevailing exchange rates, the findings clearly highlight India’s position as a competitive and attractive workforce and talent market,” said Sambhav Rakyan, Data Services Practice Leader, Asia Pacific at Towers Watson.

Further up the ladder, wages for experienced professionals at middle management levels in India are slightly more competitive, but still below their Asia Pacific peers.

Notwithstanding the recent push in its manufacturing sector and popularity of the IT sector, an engineering manager in India earns an average salary of USD 56,530 —— almost half of his Chinese counterpart (USD 112,070) and one-third of his Singaporean counterpart (USD 151,168), 

the report said.PTI