- After announcing phased salary hikes, Infosys reaffirmed its plan to hire 20,000 college graduates in fiscal year 2027 (FY27), signaling confidence in India's IT talent pipeline despite concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting software engineering jobs.
- In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Infosys Chief Executive Officer Salil Parekh said the company already hired 4,000 graduates in the first quarter of FY27 and will maintain the same campus hiring target as last year.
- Parekh said graduates entering the workforce today are increasingly AI-native and will play a critical role as enterprises accelerate AI adoption; Infosys plans to build around 6,000 frontier engineers over the next five to seven years.
- Infosys already follows differentiated pay through initiatives such as its Power Programmer programme, and Parekh expects frontier AI engineers to receive higher compensation because of the increasing value of their skills.
- Infosys is training new recruits in software engineering while equipping them with AI tools already deployed across client projects and internal operations; around 80,000 employees are currently using coding tools across the organisation.
- Parekh described today's foundation models as productivity and efficiency tools for software engineers, adding that reskilling workers and AI-equipped new graduates will be the biggest beneficiaries.
- Infosys' decision to retain its annual campus hiring target follows recent industry discussions over AI's potential impact on entry-level hiring.
Infosys CEO Salil Parekh reaffirmed the company's commitment to hire 20,000 fresh graduates in FY27, maintaining the same target as last year despite concerns over AI's impact on jobs. The firm has already hired 4,000 graduates in the first quarter of FY27.
"Last year, we recruited 20,000 college graduates. If we didn't believe in the future of the industry, we wouldn't have done that. This year, we have a similar hiring plan," Parekh stated in an interview with CNBC-TV18.
He emphasized that today's graduates are increasingly AI-native and will be crucial as enterprises adopt AI technologies. Parekh noted, "Over the next few years, AI-native talent will increasingly become the norm."
Infosys aims to build a workforce of around 6,000 frontier engineers over the next five to seven years to support enterprise AI adoption. According to Parekh, these engineers will command higher salaries due to the value of their skills.
The company is also training new recruits in software engineering while equipping them with AI tools already in use across client projects. Currently, around 80,000 employees are utilizing coding tools within the organization. Parekh remarked, "Today's foundation models are essentially powerful productivity and efficiency tools for software engineers." He added, "As these models continue to improve, people who continuously reskill, or new graduates who enter the workforce already equipped with these capabilities, will be the biggest beneficiaries."
Infosys' decision to retain its hiring target comes amid industry discussions on AI's potential impact on entry-level positions.
“Parekh told CNBC-TV18 the company has already hired 4,000 graduates in Q1 FY27, and Infosys plans to build a workforce of around 6,000 frontier engineers over the next five to seven years. About 80,000 employees currently use coding tools across the organization, and Parekh expects AI-native talent to increasingly become the norm.”
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