Cognizant, a global information technology (IT) services leader, has unveiled plans to onboard 20,000 freshers in 2025, a number which is double the fresher recruitment from the previous year. This initiative is one of the company’s strategies to strengthen its workforce, and meet the demands of its expanding operations, according to a report by The Times of India.

"As we stated at our Investor Day, we are hiring 20,000 freshers as part of our strategy, which is more than double what we did last year," the Cognizant CEO said.

CEO Ravi Kumar S emphasised that the hiring surge is designed to reshape Cognizant’s talent structure, with a focus on supporting managed services and advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven software development. The company is currently prioritising three key areas:

- Fresher recruitment: Hiring 20,000 new graduates to build a robust talent pool.
- AI-driven productivity: Enhancing efficiency through artificial intelligence innovations.
- Resource optimisation: Improving workforce utilisation to manage costs effectively while maintaining a stable overall headcount.

Cognizant is making substantial investments in artificial intelligence, with over 1,400 early generative AI projects currently active. The company has further trained 4,00,000 professionals worldwide in cutting-edge AI technologies, with an ambitious goal to upskill 1 million individuals.