The fifth edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)’s “Indian Roots, American Soil” was released at an event on Capitol Hill on November 15. At the event, members of congress and business executives praised the contributions Indian industry has brought to the United States. The survey, which is conducted every two years, shows that Indian companies are not only contributing to the US economy, but also investing in Americans across all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. One hundred companies with origins in India responded to the survey and collectively reported creating 113,423 jobs and investing more than $17.9 billion in the United States. Each state received on average $187 million in investment from Indian companies.
According to CII, Indian companies were active in every US state and had made tangible investments in 40 of them. Twenty-three states had 10 or more Indian companies. The jobs created by these companies are not isolated to any one region of the country. CII found the states with the highest number of jobs created were New Jersey, Texas, California, New York, and Georgia, but large Indian companies like Infosys have established programs to train and hire American workers in other states as well. The overwhelming majority of companies surveyed (over 85%) said they planned not only to make more investments in the United States but also to hire additional local US employees in the next five years.
Although most Indian companies are concentrated in information technology, Indian businesses represent increasingly diverse sectors, including, but not limited to, healthcare and pharmaceuticals; manufacturing; energy; agriculture; and tourism.
The full report, which includes a breakdown of results for the top 25 states, is available at CII’s slideshare.
Jake Howry is a Georgetown University Graduate Student and Intern at the East-West Center in Washington