Indian IT giant Wipro has revealed plans to hire 10,000-12,000 freshers in the financial year 2025-26 (FY26), a move that reflects the company’s optimism in the face of an industry recovering from subdued hiring practices and significant layoffs. Saurabh Govil, Wipro’s Chief Human Resources Officer, shared the announcement during a press conference following the company’s release of its third-quarter earnings for FY25.
Wipro’s hiring strategy signals a potential recovery in the IT sector, which has experienced a slowdown in recent months due to reduced demand and restrained discretionary spending. However, the company’s efforts to bring new talent on board could mark a positive turning point for the industry, offering hope for the future as demand begins to rise again.
For the current financial year, Wipro had initially aimed to recruit 10,000 freshers, with around 7,000 already onboarded during the October-December (Q3) quarter. The company anticipates another 2,500-3,000 freshers will join in the final quarter of FY25, demonstrating a steady but cautious approach to recruitment.
Govil highlighted the importance of maintaining a balanced and consistent hiring approach, ensuring that the company avoids overcommitting to new employees. This strategy comes as Wipro reassesses its hiring models to optimise employee utilisation and improve margins amid declining attrition rates. The company’s focus on employee retention also highlights its efforts to refine its workforce strategy as part of a broader effort to maintain operational stability.
In the press conference, Govil addressed concerns about Wipro’s decision to revoke job offers made to graduates in 2022. The company explained that this was due to the time gap between extending offers and the actual onboarding of candidates. To ensure quality, Wipro has introduced reassessment processes and offered skilling opportunities to candidates, making sure that they remain industry-ready despite the delay in their hiring process.
In an interesting development, Wipro also revealed the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its fresher-level hiring strategy. The inclusion of AI in recruitment is seen as a shift in the company’s hiring approach, streamlining the process while potentially enhancing candidate selection and matching, ensuring a better fit for the company’s needs.
The move to expand hiring in FY26 aligns with similar strategies adopted by other major IT companies in India. Infosys, another prominent player in the IT services sector, has announced plans to hire over 20,000 freshers in FY26, further adding to the growing optimism within the sector. Similarly, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has also committed to increasing its graduate intake in the coming financial year, although TCS did report a net decline of 5,370 employees in its most recent quarterly earnings report. This marks a notable shift for the company, which had previously seen consecutive quarters of growth in its workforce.
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The mass layoffs and over-hiring seen in the post-Covid period were flagged as significant contributors to the current challenges facing the IT sector. Many companies, including Wipro, Infosys, and TCS, are now re-evaluating their hiring practices and focusing on more strategic, sustainable workforce growth. This trend reflects a broader shift within the industry, as companies attempt to find the right balance between growth and caution, particularly in a time of economic uncertainty.
While the industry has faced difficulties in recent years, these latest developments at Wipro, Infosys, and TCS demonstrate a renewed commitment to talent acquisition. Companies are looking to nurture fresh talent through careful onboarding processes, with an eye on innovation and long-term growth. As the IT sector continues to recover, the focus on quality hiring and skills development could play a crucial role in shaping the future of India’s tech landscape.
With Wipro’s commitment to onboarding thousands of freshers in FY26, along with the strategic hiring moves from its competitors, the IT sector in India appears to be gearing up for a recovery, signalling a promising outlook for the industry as it moves into the next financial year.
