Infosys has reportedly laid off around 700 campus recruits who joined in October 2024, according to the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), a body advocating for IT and ITES workers. Harpreet Singh Saluja, NITES president, condemned the move as “shocking and unethical,” stating that the organisation plans to file a formal complaint with India’s Labour Ministry.
However, Infosys has claimed the actual number of layoffs is closer to 350. The company attributed the terminations to employees failing internal assessments multiple times.
Dispute over assessment criteria
The Economic Times reports that approximately 400 employees were called in batches and given ultimatum letters after failing a qualifying test three times. Some affected employees allege that Infosys altered the assessment criteria and syllabus during the process.
Defending its decision, Infosys stated, “All freshers get three attempts to clear the assessment, failing which they cannot continue with the organization, as stated in their contract. This process has been in place for over two decades.”
Most of the impacted employees are from the 2022 engineering batch, who trained at Infosys’ Mysuru campus. These recruits had already faced a two-year waiting period before being onboarded in October 2023, with initial offer letters promising annual salaries of Rs 3.2–3.7 lakh for system engineer roles.
Allegations of intimidation
NITES has accused Infosys of using intimidation tactics during the termination process. “The company deployed bouncers and security personnel to ensure employees could not carry mobile phones, preventing them from documenting the incident or seeking help,” Saluja alleged.
NITES is now calling for government intervention, arguing that Infosys’ actions violate the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and demanding immediate measures to protect IT workers’ rights.