The economy may bedisplaying green shoots, but that's still not enough for companies to mustercourage to hire in full measure. Major consulting and finance companies likeMcKinsey and Royal Bank of Scotland, for instance, have joined the ranks of ITcompanies in deferring placements by up to six months. Nasdaq-listed IT serviceprovider Cognizant has done the same.

At the Indian Institute ofManagement, Calcutta (IIM-C), consulting giant McKinsey has postponed thejoining dates of students by three to six months. The institute, however, saidthe company had been paying students part of their monthly salary to retainthem. IIM-C placed around 40 per cent of the batch in finance and 21 per centin consulting.

Sources at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), said McKinseyand Royal Bank of Scotland had deferred the joining date to between October andDecember from June.

“A few students have already taken up short-term projects rather than wait fora final call from the companies. This trend, however, raises concerns forplacements in 2010,” said a professor from IIM-B.

Around 25 per cent of the 250-student batch at IIM-B accepted positions inconsulting. The other sectors that saw a significant number of positions beingoffered include: finance 29 per cent; marketing 16 per cent and generalmanagement 16 per cent.

“With job offers in their hands,these students have been out of jobs for around six months now. With the datesbeing deferred to October-November, students are worried if the year will gowaste,” said a professor from SPJIMR.

“In the spirit of transparency, we have actively communicated to the freshgraduates developments at Cognizant, the business climate, etc, through oure-mail updates and campus newsletter,” said Bhaskar Das, vice president, HR,Cognizant.

In the wake of the global financial and economic crisis, most B-schools thisyear have had a tough time placing students. As a result, many schools extendedthe placement process beyond the usual placement week.