Premier business schools in the country have witnessed a revival in hiring by manufacturing companies, with campus recruitment by these firms going up by 40% in the current placement season.

Top business schools including IIM Calcutta, IIM Trichy, MDI Gurgaon, IMI Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad and BIM Trichy have reported a significant increase in hiring by manufacturing companies after remaining stagnant for the past several years.

"There are new companies coming and recruiting in large numbers. We have seen 40% increase in hiring by manufacturing companies. Revival in sectors such as transportation, automobile, infrastructure has led to this revival," said Abhishek Kumar, assistant professor at BIM Trichy.

Hinduja Group, Honda Motor Co. of Japan, Hyundai Motor India, TVS Motor, the Murugappa Group, Sundaram Clayton, 3M, Bajaj Electricals, Saint Gobain and Welspun were among companies that have resumed hiring from campuses after staying away for four to five years in the past, according to placement cells.

Tata Motors, Reliance, Tata Steel and Asian Paints are the companies that regularly recruit people from campuses every year.

"At MDI Gurgaon, the number of manufacturing firms offering management positions during the laterals has increased 10% from last year," The Economic Times quoted Kanwal Kapil, placements chairperson, as saying.

"Pre-placement offers (PPOs) offered by manufacturing firms have seen a 40% rise from last year's offers. There is a huge increase in the interest level of manufacturing firms seeking out MDI Gurgaon in order to participate in the final placement process," Kapil said.

While global mining and manufacturing conglomerate 3M was among the "first timers" to visit campuses this year, Vedanta, TVS Motor and Ultramine Chemicals conducted recruitment for the first time in nearly five years.

"The central government is working hard on the policy front including GST, labour reforms, etc., besides trying to improve infrastructure and creating smart cities," said Maclean Raphael, executive director, human resources, 3M India Ltd. "There is a growing optimism... We continue to build our leadership pipeline from campuses. We are visiting campuses such as IIFT, BIM Trichy, TAPMI for the first time this year and IIM Kozhikode after a gap of a few years."

Campus hiring by 3M has gone up by 10-15% this year from last year, while Vedanta will increase its hiring by 25%.

The increase in hiring by Indian companies at business schools has been driven by growing need for people to meet their expansion plans and keep growth rates intact. Besides, the startup boom in the country has made many companies lose their employees, leading to a rise in campus hiring.

"There is a revival in interest from manufacturing companies. They are hiring for operations, marketing, finance and other managerial roles," said Abhishek Totawar, professor and placement in charge at IIM Trichy.

IMI Delhi has witnessed a 33% jump in recruitments by the manufacturing sector for the current academic year. General Motors, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors and Hero Motocorp were the first timers at the campus, said Manaswini Acharya, dean, placements and corporate relations.