May 14, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 1, 1423

KARACHI, May 13: The September 11 incidents had not made any significant impact on Pakistan’s software industry as the staff size of 55 per cent software houses remained unchanged after the event, says a survey by an educational institute.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) had conducted a survey during January-April 2002 to assess the impact of Sept 11 event. A random sample of 95 Karachi based software houses was selected out of which 80 houses responded.

The number of engineers (57pc) also remained unchanged after the incidents, the survey said. Surprisingly, 44 per cent of the software houses said there was no change in the number of foreign orders as against 41pc houses saw decline in orders.

As many as 32 per cent software houses were still planning to hire more IT people, which was surprising, and 33 per cent undecided and 25 per cent wanted to freeze further hiring. Around 10 per cent are planning to lay-off.

According to the software houses surveyed, 42 per cent saw job opportunities for IT people, sliding in near future and equal number of houses (21 per cent) said growing and stagnant while 16 per cent could not forecast.

The survey reveals that the September 11 incidents had not made any significant impact as changes will take time to reflect (may be now the industry is living on previous orders or orders are moving in but slowly) or the industry is so tiny as compared to other countries that it failed to reflect any significant changes in its chemistry.

Perhaps next few months are likely to be very crucial for the Pakistani software industry, it added.

Prior to September 11, Pakistani software industry was doing pretty good. Businesses of 71 per cent houses were growing and 81 per cent were thinking of expanding their business. There were more than 50 people staff in 19 per cent houses and 45 per cent had a staff ranging between 21-50 and 36 per cent houses had a staff between 5-20. Major software export markets were the US and the EU, the survey said.