Hiring by IT services firms in the current fiscal has seen a moderate growth compared to the previous financial year, with companies focusing on enhancing workforce capabilities to meet evolving technological demands, analysts said. “While we haven’t seen a large-scale surge in hiring, major IT firms have exhibited a steady growth of around 5-7%, primarily driven by ongoing digital transformation initiatives and stabilisation of global demand,” Krishna Vij, business head at TeamLease Digital, said.
Further, the hiring trajectory for FY25 suggests a continued positive outlook. “IT hiring remains on a positive trajectory, with an overall increase of 12-15% forecasted this financial year, buoyed by sustained demand, particularly for tech talent involved in R&D, AI and advanced cloud projects,” Vij added.Pranshu Upadhyay, regional director at Michael Page, said, “This year, we’ve observed a significant uptick in tech hiring, especially in AI, cybersecurity, solution architecture and development roles, with a 15% year-on-year increase in junior to mid-level positions and a 10% rise in leadership roles.”
Hiring plans
The current year hiring plans by larger IT firms indicate a strategic expansion in recruitment. For instance, Infosys, which hired 11,900 freshers in FY24, has set a target to hire between 15,000 and 20,000 in FY25. C (TCS), maintaining its momentum, aims to recruit another 40,000 freshers after onboarding the same number last year. Wipro and HCLTech have also projected significant increases in their intakes with plans to hire up to 12,000 fresh graduates.
“The shift in hiring targets is reflective of our ongoing commitment to investing in new talents and expanding our capabilities across new technology fronts,” Saurabh Govil, chief human resources officer at Wipro, had said after releasing June quarter earnings.The drive for higher recruitment is also underpinned by heightened utilisation rates across major IT firms. For instance, Infosys’ utilisation rate saw an increase from 82% in January-March to 83.9% in April-June, similar upward trends were observed at Wipro and LTIMindtree, with Wipro reaching an 87.7% utilisation rate. “With utilisation rates climbing each quarter, it is prudent now to bolster our supply side to maintain favourable conditions,” Govil said.
GCCs continue to hire more
Meanwhile, global capability centres (GCCs) have become a significant force in the Indian job market, especially in the fresher recruitment sector. According to TeamLease Services, GCCs generated around 400,000 jobs, with 12-15% of these roles being filled by fresh graduates, around 10% growth from FY24. Traditional IT firms had logged a fall in fresh graduate intake in the last fiscal.