Bangalore May 20

As campus recruitment by IT services firms for 2008 gathers momentum, salaries being offered to fresh engineering graduates are reaching new highs, breaching the Rs 3-lakh mark.

Major IT firms and even some mid-size ones have increased their entry-level compensation packages by 10-16 per cent, as competition intensifies to attract the best talent from campuses.

Typically, IT firms start campus recruitment 12-15 months in advance; the hiring process for 2008 began in March-April and is set to peak in July-August, once the exams of sixth semester are over.

Sources at TCS confirmed that the company had raised its entry-level package by 10-15 per cent for graduates joining in 2008.

TCS is offering annual salaries ranging between Rs 2.7 lakh and Rs 3.3 lakh, depending on the colleges and course streams.

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