Thiruvananthapuram, June 10 (IANS) IT bellwether Infosys will hire 30,000 professionals this year as growth has returned to the sector, Chief Executive Kris Gopalakrishnan said here Thursday.

"Infosys will recruit 30,000 professionals this year," Gopalakrishnan told reporters.

He said growth had come back to the IT industry and this was evident from the performance of companies, including Infosys.

Infosys has a development centre at the Technopark campus here and employs more than 1,500 professionals.

He said a new campus in the special economic zone near Technopark would be fully operational by the end of the year.

He expressed confidence that Kerala will soon be a force in IT and the need of the hour is good promotion.

"Every destination has some pluses and minuses and for Kerala the perception that it is not a destination to invest still

continues, but the experience of those who have already invested is the exact opposite and hence the state should vigorously promote the advantages," added Gopalakrishnan.

"Another great advantage that is unique to the state is ayurveda. And especially for IT professionals, the availability of ayurveda in the state is a huge benefit," said Gopalakrishnan.