Demand for NRIs Slows Down amid the Slowdown

Of late, we have been hearing news of various markets being adversely affected by the slowdown. Now, the NRI groom market has been caught in the web too.

The market that was blooming till sometime back has witnessed a 20% fall in demand. But with the economic slump hitting the private sector badly, people are once again looking for 'stable' government employees for their daughters.

During 1990s to early 2000, NRIs were considered as a prized catch and there demand was at its peak. However, the market, saw a boom around 2006-2007 for all Indians who were working outside. The main reason for this was that NRIs during that time made a lot of money and girls married them to get settled abroad, therefore making them the most prospective in the Indian marriage market. Another reason for this boom in demand was that these grooms meet the parents' fundamental demands like religion, caste, house, job and plans after marriage etc. Their demand for NRIs became very strong in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and also people living in the metros.

But with the job market going through the worst and with increasing pink slip handovers and pay cuts taking a toll during recession, parents in India have changed their preferences. People have now become skeptical of the stability factor from the groom's side and have become a little apprehensive about getting their daughters married to them.

People have become more selective because they want to do all it takes to have a secured life with a steady income. But at the same time compatibility is also important them. It's just that, these days, stability is being associated with public sector and that's what parents are trying to target. Even job aspirants are looking to work with a PSU because of the security and stability attached to it.

As per a recent survey, government employees are among the top 20 professions that are most sought after as of now.

Earlier, a government job would mean stable job but low salary but that's not the case now. These PSUs have also raised their compensations to meet standards of other private firms. Now, a PSU employee earns a good enough salary, which makes them all the more popular in the Indian marriage market.

Besides that, with promising careers, independent approach towards life and the need to spend more time with one's family, many eligible Indian women are themselves not very keen to move abroad after marriage.

Besides that, a recent research has revealed that all those women who are looking for spouses through online matrimonial tend to tie the knot with NRI grooms. But these marriages don't last for long as after sometime, these women feel that the men are not suitable and file for divorce. Most of the NRI grooms get involved into premarital relationships, which have not worked for them. So, they feel like getting settled with a girl from their own country, which really does not work for them all the time. Also, it is not important that they would be completely honest about their jobs and pay packets before the marriage. That's also becomes a reason for parents to feel apprehensive about their daughters getting married to NRIs.

The contemporary Indian women are really not willing to leave their job and family to settle abroad as they feel a lot more secured here. Moreover, with a lot more stable careers and job opportunities available within India, parents as well as their daughters prefer a groom who is staying in India. These girls are not ready to leave their own city, let alone the country. They find no reason good enough to leave their family, friends and career.

But this is only a small percentage of audience that has this opinion. Despite all apprehensions, demand for NRIs still exists.

Though the demand has declined, NRI grooms are still in demand across both domestic and overseas market despite the global economic crisis. These candidates are basically IT professionals as per the survey. Communities like the Punjabis and the Gujaratis are not in the top jobs abroad. So, parents are always apprehensive about them and have a lot of questions regarding these people. But IT grooms are considered pretty safe as they represent safe companies.

Sukhpreet Kaur writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India's fastest growing matrimonial website, provides online Indian matrimonial classified services. Jeevansathi.com enables users to create a Christian matrimony profile on the website and allow prospective grooms and brides to contact each other. Users can search for profiles through advanced search options on the website. Users can avail free registration and make initial contact with each other through services available on Jeevansathi.com via Chat, SMS, and e-mail