In a dramatic shift across India’s IT sector, the top four tech giants — Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, and HCLTech — have collectively slashed over 42,000 jobs in the past two years, marking a significant change in workforce strategy amid evolving global demand and skill realignment.
Wipro leads the layoffs with a massive 25,200 job cuts since 2023, followed by Infosys with 12,506 and TCS with 2,249. While HCLTech remained relatively stable, reducing just 287 roles, the trend signals a broader transformation in India’s IT employment landscape.
“Skill Mismatch,” Says TCS CEO
Despite the smaller cuts, TCS CEO K Krithivasan has revealed plans to eliminate 12,000 more roles globally due to a “skill mismatch,” especially affecting middle and senior levels. Still, TCS emphasizes it will continue hiring high-quality talent and invest in emerging tech like AI, Cloud, IoT, and Cybersecurity.
In an internal email, TCS explained its push toward a “future-ready organization,” realigning delivery models and deploying AI at scale, even as it restructures parts of its workforce — impacting nearly 2% of its global headcount.
Workforce Stats as of June 30, 2025:
TCS: 613,069 employees | Attrition: 13.8%
Infosys: 323,788 employees | Attrition: 14.4%
Wipro: 233,232 employees | Attrition: 15.1% (highest)
HCLTech: 223,151 employees | Attrition: Not disclosed
CEO Salaries Soar Amid Layoffs
Even as workforce numbers shrink, CEO pay packages have ballooned:
TCS CEO: Rs26.52 crore (↑4.6%)
Infosys CEO Salil Parekh: Rs80.6 crore (↑22%)
Wipro CEO Srinivas Pallia: Rs53.64 crore
HCLTech CEO C Vijayakumar (FY24): Rs84.16 crore
What This Means
This large-scale workforce reshaping points to a strategic shift toward automation, AI integration, and efficiency across the IT sector. The hiring lens is narrowing to digital-first talent, even as traditional roles fade.
As attrition climbs and job security shrinks for mid-level professionals, India’s tech workforce must brace for a skills-over-size future, where adaptability will be more critical than tenure.
