New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS): Many top-notch IT and hospitality companies participated in a job fair organised for the LGBTI community here on Saturday.

Nearly 1,000 applicants participated in Asia's largest LGBTI job fair, which indicates a growing need among the LGBTI community for a place of work, said Pride Circle, a consulting firm for the community in India.

"Jobs were offered by 20 companies which included Accenture, KPMG, The Lalit Hospitality Group, Uber and HSBC, among others. FICCI joined RISE as an industry partner. RISE (Reimagining Inclusion for Social Equity) provided a platform to the LGBTI community and allies to engage in a thought-provoking conference and skill-building workshops," Pride Circle said in a statement.

Thanking the community for showing tremendous support, Srini Ramaswamy, Chief Evangelist and Co-founder, Pride Circle, said, "We are overwhelmed by the support of the community, our partners, hiring companies and all the attendees."

Ramakrishna Sinha, Co-founder, Pride Circle, said, "The affirmative action by hiring organisations is evidence that we are moving towards the right direction to foster inclusion at workplaces."

At the event, Pride Circle in collaboration with Keshav Suri Foundation and Stonewall, a UK based LGBTI rights charity, introduced a Workplace Equality Index (WEI) for India. WEI is a definitive benchmarking tool for employers to measure the progress of the LGBTI community in the workplace. The first report of WEI will be published by the end of this year.

The conference also gave an opportunity to the members of the community to learn from the experts on various topics through breakout session and masterclasses which included financial literacy for the existing and interested LGBTI entrepreneurs, resume building and interview skills, among others.

The event saw 16 micro, small and medium-sized LGBTI owned businesses displaying their products and services in the areas of bakery, merchandise and travel and tourism. The first edition of RISE was held in July 2019 in Bengaluru.