Infosys to hire 20,000 freshers as headcount falls and attrition drops to 12.6%

Infosys will hire around 20,000 freshers in FY27, maintaining its campus hiring momentum even as its overall workforce declined in the March quarter and attrition eased.

The move reflects a calibrated workforce strategy where the company is refreshing its talent pyramid while tightening overall headcount, amid slowing growth expectations and rising demand for AI-led services.

Hiring continues despite workforce compression

Infosys reported a total headcount of 3,28,594 employees at the end of Q4FY26, down 2.5 per cent from 3,37,034 in the previous quarter, according to Financial Express.

The decline points to ongoing rationalisation across roles, even as the company continues to invest in entry-level hiring. Infosys said it had hired over 20,000 freshers in FY26 and plans a similar intake in FY27, indicating a shift towards rebalancing workforce costs and skills rather than outright expansion.

On a yearly basis, headcount rose modestly from 3,23,578, suggesting that hiring remains selective and aligned to demand.

Attrition eases, signalling stabilisation

Voluntary attrition in the IT services segment dropped to 12.6 per cent, from 14.1 per cent a year earlier, according to Financial Express.

The easing attrition rate signals a stabilising labour market after a period of elevated churn. Lower attrition reduces replacement hiring pressure and allows companies to focus on productivity and capability building, particularly in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence.

Women employees accounted for 39.5 per cent of the workforce, highlighting continued progress on diversity metrics.

Strong financials, but growth outlook remains muted

Infosys reported consolidated net profit of Rs 8,501 crore in Q4FY26, up 20.8 per cent year-on-year, while revenue rose 13.38 per cent to Rs 47,402 crore.

The company also secured large deal wins worth $3.2 billion in the quarter, underlining continued client demand for transformation projects.

However, the outlook remains cautious. Infosys has guided for FY27 revenue growth of 1.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent, reflecting slower client decision cycles and pressure on discretionary technology spending.

Balancing costs, skills and growth

The company’s approach suggests a deliberate shift towards optimising the talent mix. Hiring freshers at scale helps manage costs while building a pipeline of talent that can be trained in AI and digital technologies.

At the same time, a reduction in overall headcount indicates tighter control over lateral hiring and non-essential roles.

The combination of lower attrition and controlled hiring also reduces volatility in workforce planning, allowing Infosys to align staffing more closely with project demand.

Infosys’ latest workforce data highlights a more disciplined hiring cycle in the IT sector, where growth is no longer driven by rapid headcount expansion.

Instead, the focus is shifting to capability building, AI integration, and productivity-led growth, with fresher hiring playing a central role in long-term workforce strategy.

As enterprises move from pilot AI projects to scaled deployments, Infosys’ ability to train and deploy this new talent pool will be critical to sustaining growth in a slower, more selective demand environment.