Bangalore's IT generation
Software work paid ten times the national average because outsourcing landed there.
10×a two-year engineer's pay vs national average income
What they did
Young engineers studied software, graduated, and took jobs in Bangalore. Many were the first in their families to enter the global labour market.
What they did not choose
English-language education, a large engineering pool, low wages, and export policy made Bangalore the landing zone. The Independent reported that a graduate with two years' experience earned 20,000–24,000 rupees a month against a national average of about 10,070 rupees a year. The same training in a city without the export boom produced a different life.
Figures
- India software industry growth, 1994–1999: over 40% a year, against 6.6% for the whole economy (Stanford King Center).
- Bangalore graduate with two years' experience: Rs 20,000–24,000 a month, about 10× the national average (The Independent).
- The city created an estimated 500 dollar millionaires through stock options (The Independent).
- Bangalore's population grew from 1.5 million to 5 million in six years during the boom.