While India’s leading IT services companies are scaling back on hiring, global tech majors are expanding their workforce across the country. Over the past 12 months, top international firms like Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Google have increased their headcount in India by 16 percent, adding more than 28,000 new jobs. Their total workforce now exceeds 208,000.
This hiring growth surpasses the 15 percent mark reported until August 2024 and comes despite nearly 100,000 global job cuts announced by these companies, mainly in the United States and Europe. “Even in a tough global environment, India remains a critical hub for talent, particularly in areas like AI and cloud,” said a staffing firm cofounder. “The hiring trend shows resilience, and AI is emerging as a key driver shaping recruitment patterns.” Currently, over 4,500 roles remain open across these firms’ Indian operations, highlighting continued demand for specialised technology skills.
In contrast, India’s top six IT companies, including TCS, Infosys and Wipro, are experiencing a slowdown. After achieving 22 percent headcount growth in 2022, the sector saw a decline of 0.2 percent in 2023 and 3.1 percent in 2024. By June 2025, their combined workforce rose by just 1.3 percent, reaching 1.62 million. TCS recently announced 12,000 job cuts at mid and senior levels due to skill mismatches and project realignments.
“The market is shifting. While traditional roles are being phased out, there’s a surge in demand for skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud technologies,” said the CEO of a digital workforce solutions company. “It’s a tough transition, but essential for staying relevant.”
Hiring has become highly focused on digital-first roles, while demand for legacy system support has fallen sharply. Although hiring by global firms in India dropped by 3 to 6 percent in the last quarter of FY25, it bounced back by 8 to 10 percent in the first quarter of FY26.
Much of this momentum is driven by Global Capability Centres, where companies are building AI tools, digital products and cloud platforms. “Despite global redundancies, companies are expanding in India via their GCCs,” said another staffing industry leader. Experts believe closing the talent gap through accelerated skilling is now essential for India to retain its growing reputation as a global innovation hub.
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