Why payroll outsourcing is a game changer for European companies in India

Managing payroll abroad can be challenging and time-consuming, as each country has unique laws and regulations regarding social security and taxes. By outsourcing administrative matters, you won't lose valuable time and can focus on growing your Indian business. These are the benefits of payroll outsourcing for European companies in India.

Better compliance with local labor and tax laws

If you have staff abroad, you know better than anyone how important it is to stay up to date on the latest payroll regulations, such as annual salary increases, a 13th month paid holidays, etc. Keeping up to date in this area can take an immense amount of time, especially in India. In addition, being non-compliant with new regulations can negatively impact your business in the country. 

Therefore, to ensure compliance and reduce risk, it makes sense to outsource payroll to a local expert. That way, European companies can be sure that all processes comply with laws and regulations at the state, federal, local and industry levels, without having to invest significant resources. 

Streamline HR function through payroll outsourcing

Outsourcing payroll can reduce the workload on your HR department alleviate, allowing them to truly focus on human resources issues. By taking difficult administrative tasks off your HR staff's hands, they can focus on challenging cultural issues that need to be bridged, for example. 

Transferring payroll to a third party ensures that you do not have to hire and train additional staff, saving you money and time that you can invest in your core business.

Maintain confidentiality and transparency

With in-house payroll, there is a risk of losing sensitive personal data of employees. Therefore, it is advisable to consider payroll outsourcing. This approach helps maintain confidentiality while limiting access to payroll data to key decision makers and senior employees. 

To ensure data security compliance, it is essential to work with a trusted payroll administrator that offers secure solutions, including data encryption, storage and reporting.

Are you looking for a reliable administrative partner?

From our European offices in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Sweden, and our offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Chennai, IndiaConnected helps dozens of companies from across Europe do business in India every year.

For companies with a subsidiary in India, we take care of the entire administration: accounting, payroll, tax returns, legal support and necessary compliances. We also perform the Company Secretary and the Chartered Accountant function. Do you need business and tax registrations, such as GST, DIN, DSC or TAN? We apply for them for you.

Let us know what administrative matters you could use help with, and we will put together a customized package for you.

Salaries in India: what do you need to think about?

Wondering how much you can really save on your personnel costs if you out-source to India? Or have you started recruiting staff for your Indian branch and are you wondering what a realistic salary proposal is? These are the average salaries in India: From university graduates to telemarketers and skilled tradespeople. Please note that these are averages regardless of the experience, education, sector and location of the candidate.

Despite the fact that the average wages in India are still a lot lower than in Europe, the average monthly salary has risen rapidly in recent years. While the average salary was ₹19,492 (€221) in 2016, it has now almost doubled to ₹31,900 (€362). This sounds very advantageous, but this average also includes the very low salaries of the many Indian farm workers. As a foreign company, you cannot rely on this average. Depending on the region where you are located, the average salary will be higher or lower. Foreign companies are often looking for staff around the big cities and those salaries are a lot higher. For instance, in Mumbai, the average salary is ₹66,900 (€760), while in Chandigargh, a much smaller city, it is only ₹43,900 (€499).

Average salary in India based on experience, education and function

A candidate's level of education and experience obviously affect salary. In general, Indian workers with two to five years of experience earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all sectors. Professionals with more than five years of experience earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience. When reaching ten years within a sector, salaries increase by 21% and by a further 14% when reaching 15 years or more of experience. Not only the years of experience count, but also changing jobs has an influence. Every time a person changes jobs, the salary increases by 30-35%. An important point to consider in the recruitment process. 

Of course, several aspects play a role in determining salary, such as education, position and location. In India, employees with a basic education earn on average 17% more than colleagues who have only completed secondary school. A Bachelor's degree increases the salary by an average of 24% and a Master's degree by another 29%. There is also a big difference between the different regions. In the big cities, the cost of living is much higher than in more rural areas. Salaries are, of course, adjusted accordingly. 

To get an idea of average salaries of different jobs and sectors, we have put together some examples. Please note that these are only examples and the experience, education, sector and location of the suitable candidate are not included in the examples below. Would you like more insight into the possible salary costs for your Indian entity? Please contact our experts, they can advise you on realistic salary proposals based on the sector you are active in, your location and your specific requirements.

Fight turnover with a competitive salary offer

In India, many companies suffer from high staff turnover. To attract and retain talented employees, it is very important that your salary is equal to or higher than the average salary for that position in India. In addition, you must comply with the rules of the Indian employment arena. Legal assistance in drafting employment contracts and conditions is therefore no luxury. It is also advisable to seek practical advice on best practices, so that the policy is not only legally compliant, but also HR-friendly. IndiaConnected is happy to support you in this process, including the recruitment and selection process and contract negotiations. 

6 reasons to outsource IT to India right now

A smoothly running IT department is an essential part of any business, especially now that work from home has become widespread and cloud computing has become more important. Europe alone faces a major shortage of around 30% of suitable IT personnel. And the professionals who are available come at a high price. In India, these good, experienced and affordable IT professionals can be found: in fact, India has the largest IT labor market in the world.

India is one of the most popular outsource destinations in the world, with around 65% of all outsourced IT and R&D globally being moved to India. Head of IT for Maier+Vidorno, IndiaConnected's partner in India, Satish Tripathi shares the six reasons why India is the best outsource option for your IT department or R&D team:  

1. An extensive pool of highly trained professionals

India has one of the largest talent pools in the world. Every year, around one and a half million students come from the country's top technical universities, eager to get a job with a foreign multinational. Becoming a web or mobile app developer is one of the most popular career options among young Indians. The abundance and availability of dedicated and trained offshore developers makes India the place to have an IT or R&D team up and running in a short span of time. In addition, Indian IT professionals are trained in the latest technological solutions and applications, which are still considered challenging in other places of the world. India not only pulls the proverbial outsourcing cart, but also takes the lead in implementing the latest technology trends.

2. Outsourcing in India is budget friendly

Cost is often the deciding factor in opting for outsourcing and in the case of India, perhaps the most tempting factor in setting up an IT department in this country. Development costs in India are 30-35% lower than in the US and Europe. The average hourly wage of an Indian IT professional varies, depending on knowledge and experience, between €15 and €35 per hour. This is considerably lower compared to the salaries of developers in Western countries, which are around 85 to 125 Euros per hour. Outsourcing your IT or R&D to India can save the company up to 65% of its operational costs.

3. Reliability and high quality standards

Companies providing outsourcing services in India deliver high quality work that meets all international standards. Indian outsource parties work with:

• The Capability Maturing Model (CMM), which indicates the level of software development in an organisation. The model distinguishes five levels, of which 1 is poorly developed and at 5 the development process runs like a well-oiled machine. More than 75% of the worldwide CMM Level 5 certified companies are located in India.

• The International Standard Organisation (ISO 9000), which guarantees the quality of design, development, production and installation. India has the most ISO-9000 certified software companies in the world.

• Total Quality Management (TQM)

• Six Sigma Quality Certification

• Customer Operations Performance Centre (COPC) that ensures the delivery of quality software within the deadline.

With the above standards and certifications, you as a company can be sure that an Indian IT or R&D team is providing your solutions with European quality. 

4. Communication is the key to success

Even though your IT or R&D team operates remotely, this does not affect smooth communication with the European headquarters. Not only because online conferencing is fully established by the corona crisis, but also because English is one of the main languages in India. India is the largest English-speaking country in the world. Good communication is essential for a successful start in India. For example, the the German IT company Optanium has not seen a single employee from its R&D team leave in seven years because of the strong bond of trust the German parent company has been able to build remotely with its employees in India.

5. Use the time difference to your advantage

India is 4.5 hours ahead of Europe, allowing you to solve problems before they will affect your European employees or users. This leads to greater efficiency, higher productivity and more space to focus on crucial tasks. Dutch company ARS Traffic & Transport Technology, a leading market player in technological traffic solutions, has had an R&D facility in India for twenty years for this reason. In addition to software development, the section control systems and matrix signs along Dutch highways are controlled from the Indian ARS T&TT office. "If a system fails, due to the time difference, we can repair the system before rush hour starts," told CEO Jan Linssen told us earlier at an interview.

6. Support from the Government of India

The IT industry is one of the largest sectors of the Indian economy and employs the majority of India's young workforce. The Indian government has therefore designed its policies to give this industry room to grow. With initiatives such as Digital India, which aims to make the country digitally more powerful in the field of technology, the government is trying to stimulate foreign investment in this sector even more. Therefore, you will have little trouble with legal or fiscal restrictions. 

Jump into the new, hybrid way of working - this is the time to outsource:

Many companies are trying to find their way in the post-pandemic world, which brings both financial and work-related challenges. Cutting your IT budget is actually impossible in this era of hybrid working, which is why outsourcing internal IT is a solution that can save companies a lot of money. With our new ways of working, physical distance is no longer a major obstacle to working with a remote IT team.

Wondering what benefits outsourcing has for your business? Get in touch with us: