What is the significance of Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala ? People may say that it’s the largest developed city in the state and may talk about the numerous shopping malls and urban life. But as far as the kerala Government is concerned, Kochi is the most financially dependable city across the state. It generates 50% of the kerala’s commercial taxes and remains as the top revenue contributor of the state. This is the reason why kerala’s finance minister decided to launch ‘Mission Ernakulam’, when the state’s economy was hit by ‘demonetization’. Besides all these kochi has a long history of managing various industries which made it the most attractive place for Job seekers for many decades. This article will discuss how kochi is emerging as one of the most prominent industrial city in the Indian sub continent.
Early Industries in Kochi
The presence of a major port made Kochi stand out from from all other regions of Kerala. It was the Maritime Board of British India which declared Cochin port as a major port back in 1932. Its financial significance contributed strongly to the development of the city and its suburbs. Cochin port supported the locals with exciting career opportunities. People from across the India migrated to Kochi and engaged in export business due to the presence of this port. Spices and marine products of Kerala were send to different parts of the world. This huge immigration made Kochi a multicultural society and it developed a unique culture.
The next big thing in Kochi was the industrial belt in Eloor. Many big industries were started in that belt including FACT, RARL, HIL etc. It was a big blessing for a state which was infamous for the lack of employment. Many educated youths find solace under these industries. But later these industries itself became a threat to life of the locals due to the unchecked pollution.
Techie’s Kochi
With the inception of Infopark in July 18 2004, Kochi started a new phase in its growth and development and there was a new dawn of hope for techies across Kerala. Almost 3-4 years before inception itself infopark influenced the kochities. People were in search of the UG and PG courses with Computer science expecting a boom in the IT industry locally. Infopark have grown beyond all these expectations and made IT industry the top job provider in Kochi.
With the installation of the Infopark the demand for new technologies arouse in Kochi. Demand for some technologies were slightly high and job seekers didn’t had swift competitions, while some technologies offered good pay with big competition.
Demand for opensource technologies like Php, WordPress are much more compared to the other technologies. But I think the candidates should be careful about the selection of their technologies. They should follow their passion instead of installing themselves in the technologies with more demand. words of a prominent It Recruiter in Kochi. “People can’t survive in this industry if they aren’t following their passion”, he added. Back in 2006 most jobs in the industry were provided for website developers, especially who had expertise in Php. Kochi became the second home of many web programmers and designers across the state. Asp.net programmers too had decent demand and many MNC’s started their centre in Kochi due to the immense potential available here. But java developers were slightly disappointed due to the lack of opportunities as many of the companies targeted content management website projects, not web applications.
After 10 years in 2016 the IT job sector changed a lot with the arrival mobile app development. Many java developers could easily moved to Android app development as java knowledge was an added advantage in its development. With the advent of phonegap technology along with IOS and Android, the mobile app industry thrives in the city. But the demand for opensource technologies haven’t received single threats irrespective of the new arrived technologies. Php and wordpress remains as the most demanded technologies even after 10 years.
Tourism Industry in Kochi
Kochi is the Tourism hub of Entire Kerala state. Cochin international Airport Limited (CIAL) plays major role in bringing international as well domestic travelers. The implementation of e tourist visa by Govt of India have helped Tourism in Kerala as well. Most travel agents chosen Kochi as their base due to the ease in tour operations. Kochi itself offer large varieties of tourist destinations like Cherai Beach, Fortkochi, Marine Drive, Hill palace, Narakkal backwaters etc.
Smart Kochi
Infopark is expanding on each successful day. More IT parks emerges in Kochi following the path of Infopark. For example Muthoot Technopolis, Infopark Technology Business Centre, Kaloor etc. Cepz Kochi also caters many IT companies. Apart from all these ‘start Up’ village was started in 2012 with an aim to promote start ups in the state. Above all the dream project of Kochities ever, Smart city started its operations on May 2016, with the inauguration of its first phase. When all the 4 phases of the project is completed, it is expect to provide 90 thousand jobs which will be a huge plus for the entire state. The entire Kerala is eagerly waiting for its completion. The locals can expect lots of indirect jobs associated with it.