Big Tech continues to hire in India even as local majors downsize
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Indian IT services majors may be trimming their workforce, but for Big Tech, it's still hiring season in India.Global giants under the FAAMNG umbrella – Facebook parent Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google – have grown their India headcount across their own and their affiliate entities by 16% over the past 12 months, data from staffing firm Xpheno showed.The pace of growth is slightly higher than 15% in the 12 months to August 2024.FAAMNG saw over 28,000 net employee additions in the past one year. The current estimated collective headcount across their entities in India is over 208,000, according to Xpheno.The hiring rate 'is relatively healthy, especially with the buzz of AI potentially impacting pace and volume of hiring,' said Kamal Karanth, cofounder of Xpheno.These companies continue to post healthy hiring demand in the country, with active openings at 4,500 currently, despite executing large-scale layoffs in the US, with an estimated 100,000 laid off globally.The Covid pandemic-induced hiring surge saw net additions for the FAAMNG cohort grow 35% year-on-year in 2022, followed by a slowdown to 6% growth in 2023.By comparison, the top six Indian IT services firms saw headcount additions soar 22% on year in 2022, followed by declines by 0.2% and 3.1% in 2023 and 2024, respectively. As of June 2025, combined headcount in these firms grew 1.3% year-on-year to 1,625,646.However, the country's IT bellwether Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) on Sunday caused shockwaves as it announced layoff of 12,000 employees in mid-to-senior levels, citing skills mismatch in project deployments.While global giants have also announced major layoffs in recent times, India has seen a lesser impact compared to many other geographies, experts noted.'While we do see some of this affecting India, the volumes so far are not as high as global numbers,' said Neeti Sharma, CEO of IT staffing firm TeamLease Digital.Also, hiring in the industry is increasingly selective, with a focus on specialised skills, especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud.'There is a high demand for skills such as AI, cloud and cybersecurity,' while hiring is down for support and routine roles, especially in conventional technologies, Sharma said.'Few older roles will gradually become redundant. However, newer roles are being defined,' she said. 'This transition is tough now, but it's needed to stay relevant.'Employees face more pressure to perform and upskill, especially in AI and cloud, as companies focus on keeping top talent and building leaner teams, Sharma added.As per Quess IT staffing, hiring by large tech firms in India dipped by 3-6% in the fourth quarter of FY2025 ended in March. However, it was up by about 8-10% in the first quarter FY2026, it said.'While global tech firms are making headlines for layoffs abroad, many are increasing hiring in India, especially through their GCCs,' said Kapil Joshi, CEO of Quess IT Staffing.India-based global capability centres (GCCs) are now doing more high-end work, such as developing AI tools, cloud platforms, and new digital products, he noted.At the same time, companies are seeing the need to balance costs while increasing focus on innovation, experts said.'They need to train people faster, close talent gaps, and compete for the best candidates in a tight market,' Joshi said.
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