Hiring at India’s Big Four outsourcers stalls, as AI seemingly makes an impact

India’s big four outsourcers – HCL, Infosys, TCS and Wipro – have essentially stopped hiring, perhaps coinciding with their increased use of AI to power their practices.

The four companies have all announced quarterly results in the last ten days and appear to be in decent health. HCL reported $3.8 billion revenue, up 7.4 percent year over year. Infosys pulled in $5.1 billion, up 1.7 percent year over year. TCS revenue of $7.5 billion represented a three percent increase. Wipro’s $2.6 billion revenue represented a 5.5 percent year over year improvement.

India’s top tech companies often hire more than 10,000 people a quarter, a rate of recruitment that more-than offsets attrition and sees their headcounts rise substantially. Wipro increased its payroll by 6,500 people last quarter and Infosys hired 5,000 more – muted growth by their standards – while TCS and ...