Infosys to hire nearly 20,000 engineers from campuses

Infosys, the second largest information technology (IT) services firm in the country, will maintain its annual campus hiring at 20,000 this year, but is looking at engineers with new skills such as digital and analytics.

IT firms in the country have witnessed technology and business shifts in the past few years. Clients are now spending more on digital, Cloud and analytics. Maintenance and testing — services usually performed by freshers — are also getting automated.

This has prompted Infosys and its peers to look for new skills when they hire.

The Bengaluru-headquartered company will begin its annual campus hiring in September, an Infosys spokesperson told Business Standard while confirming the number of job offers.

The placement process at engineering colleges goes on till February. IT companies hire in the third and fourth quarters and absorb the new work force in phases.

“Hiring at Infosys has always been driven by business. Over the years, we have only increased the spread of roles we offer on campuses. The IT industry is witnessing a change in hiring patterns with unconventional, high-value graduates with differential skills likely to be more attractive,” said the Infosys spokesperson.

The National Association of Software and Services Companies said the focus of the IT services sector was “shifting from scale to skill”.

College administrations, however, report they have hardly witnessed any change.

M K Panduranga Setty, president of the trust of Bengaluru-based R V College of Engineering, said, “So far, we have not seen any impact in terms of jobs. About 95 per cent of students in the final year have already got jobs. For the next year, we will have to wait and watch how the companies react to recent shifts in the sector.”

Earlier this month, Infosys announced it would hire 10,000 in the US over the next two years and open four new technology and innovation hubs across the US. These would focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, user experience, emerging digital technologies, Cloud, and big data.

The company is focusing on automation to improve productivity.

“The business model is evolving because of the technology. We are driving faster adoption of automation and improved productivity. But, there are newer areas where we can be people-intensive,” said Pravin Rao, chief operating officer, Infosys.