
Reports suggest that after sluggish hiring in Indian engineering colleges for the past two years, the colleges are now witnessing a strong placement season.
Hiring in Information Technology (IT) services and global capability centres (GCCs) for 2023-24 (Financial Year (FY)24) through 2024-25 (FY25) is projected to be 30 per cent higher than the previous year, said HirePro, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered recruitment automation firm, stated a report by Business Standard.
The IT services sector is expected to remain strong for the next seven to eight months, suggesting a robust hiring trend for FY26 through 2026-27. “Overall, hiring in IT services and GCCs for FY24-25 is projected to be 30 per cent higher than the previous year. IT services firms will outpace GCCs in hiring, having largely paused recruitment for the past 18-24 months,” said S Pasupathi, Chief Operating Officer(COO) of HirePro.
Companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCLTech, and Wipro have announced ambitious hiring plans, signalling a revival in campus placements. TCS has announced aggressive hiring, targeting 40,000 or more fresh graduates, while Infosys plans to recruit 20,000 freshers. HCLTech has committed to hiring 10,000 candidates, and Wipro has said it will hire 2,500-3,000 students quarterly from campuses, stated Business Standard.
Commenting on the improving hiring trends, V Samuel Rajkumar, Director (career development centre) at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), said, “Last year, we placed about 7,600 students — covering about 85 per cent of the campus — through 871 companies. As of now, we have 485 companies participating and have already placed 9,000 students.”
“For FY26, hiring is already completed, with only absorption remaining. Most IT firms initially took a wait-and-watch approach, but those that started early have completed 70-80 per cent of their hiring,” said Pasupathi.
Talking about the demand for more campus freshers, he said, “A major IT services firm that previously had a demand of 1,000-2,000 employees now requires 7,000-8,000 — a sizeable jump from the previous quarter."
Other side of the coin
The other side of the situation makes one think about the salary range that remained relatively stable. Entry-level salaries in IT services range between Rs 3.6 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per annum, while GCCs offer higher packages, averaging Rs 6 lakh per annum.