No layoffs, only hiring: Infosys CEO bets big on freshers while rivals cut thousands
"We have not done any layoffs in the last year and we don't see anything of that sort coming up," Infosys CEO Salil Parekh said.
- Apr 30, 2026,
- Updated Apr 30, 2026 12:27 PM IST
While rivals from TCS to Cognizant have cut thousands of jobs amid rising automation, Infosys is moving in the opposite direction, pledging no layoffs and pressing ahead with a plan to onboard 20,000 fresh graduates this year, Chief Executive Salil Parekh said.
Must read: AI layoffs may hurt companies too, not just workers: Study warns of ‘automation trap’
"We have not done any layoffs in the last year and we don't see anything of that sort coming up," Parekh told Moneycontrol in an interview.
Earlier reports said that TCS would let go of 12,500 employees. HCLTech, Oracle and Cognizant have since carried out their own workforce reductions.
Must read: Infosys awards Salil Parekh Rs 51.75 crore in ESOPs; no clarity on salary hikes
AI is expanding work, not eliminating it
Parekh pushed back against the narrative that AI would erode demand for talent, saying the shift was structural rather than existential.
"AI is expanding the scope of work, not shrinking it," he said, adding that while the tasks performed by freshers would change, the underlying demand for engineers would persist.
Must read: Infosys headcount falls by over 8,400 in Q4, workforce at 328,594
Infosys is training engineers to work both with and without AI tools, ensuring they can build and evaluate code generated by foundational models, Parekh said.
"There is also more attention to deep individual knowledge and becoming a subject matter expert," he added, signalling that specialised skills would command a premium as AI commoditises routine coding tasks.
Must read: No meeting, no warning, just a mail: Oracle layoffs 2026 raise questions on process, pay, and scale
AI already contributing to revenue
AI currently accounts for about 5.5% of Infosys' revenue and is growing rapidly, Parekh said, describing it as a key growth driver for the coming years.
To accelerate the shift, the company is deepening partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic, while rolling out internal platforms including Topaz Fabric to support AI-led development at scale.
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While rivals from TCS to Cognizant have cut thousands of jobs amid rising automation, Infosys is moving in the opposite direction, pledging no layoffs and pressing ahead with a plan to onboard 20,000 fresh graduates this year, Chief Executive Salil Parekh said.
Must read: AI layoffs may hurt companies too, not just workers: Study warns of ‘automation trap’
"We have not done any layoffs in the last year and we don't see anything of that sort coming up," Parekh told Moneycontrol in an interview.
Earlier reports said that TCS would let go of 12,500 employees. HCLTech, Oracle and Cognizant have since carried out their own workforce reductions.
Must read: Infosys awards Salil Parekh Rs 51.75 crore in ESOPs; no clarity on salary hikes
AI is expanding work, not eliminating it
Parekh pushed back against the narrative that AI would erode demand for talent, saying the shift was structural rather than existential.
"AI is expanding the scope of work, not shrinking it," he said, adding that while the tasks performed by freshers would change, the underlying demand for engineers would persist.
Must read: Infosys headcount falls by over 8,400 in Q4, workforce at 328,594
Infosys is training engineers to work both with and without AI tools, ensuring they can build and evaluate code generated by foundational models, Parekh said.
"There is also more attention to deep individual knowledge and becoming a subject matter expert," he added, signalling that specialised skills would command a premium as AI commoditises routine coding tasks.
Must read: No meeting, no warning, just a mail: Oracle layoffs 2026 raise questions on process, pay, and scale
AI already contributing to revenue
AI currently accounts for about 5.5% of Infosys' revenue and is growing rapidly, Parekh said, describing it as a key growth driver for the coming years.
To accelerate the shift, the company is deepening partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic, while rolling out internal platforms including Topaz Fabric to support AI-led development at scale.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine