Infy headcount to cross 1,00,000 this year | Pet peeves

Bangalore: Headcount of Infosys Technologies Ltd is set to cross 1,00,000 this fiscal (2008-09), with a gross addition of over 20,000-25,000 people to its present strength of 91,187, a top company official said here on Tuesday.

"We have already made campus offerings of 18,000 for this fiscal (FY 2009)," TV Mohandas Pai, Infosys head for HRD and education and research, said.

"We assume about 80 per cent (14,400) of them will join us. In addition, we will hire about 6,000 laterals and 3,500 freshers from the local market to meet our annual human resource requirements," Pai said.

As global software major with development centres in the US, Europe, Australia, China and Mexico, the company plans to hire as many locals in these countries for near-shore advantage.

"Our global workforce is set to increase this fiscal too and will account for about five per cent of the total workforce," Pai said.

"Wage increase will be 11-13 per cent this fiscal as against 12-15 per cent in the last fiscal (FY 2008) for Indian employees and four-five per cent for overseas employees.

"The hike will be slightly higher (16 per cent) than last fiscal because of tax concessions given to salaried employees in the union budget for this fiscal by the finance minister," he said.

For fiscal 2007-08, the IT bellwether hired 33,177 people as against its projected in-take of 25,000 in the beginning and 72,241 employees at the end of previous fiscal (FY 2007).

With 14,231 employees leaving during the fiscal (FY 2008), the net addition was 18,946 people.

Of the total workforce, 85,013 are software professionals and 79,494 are billable employees.

The bench strength was 3466. Attrition rate remained flat at 13.4 per cent as in the previous fiscal (FY 2007).

"Hiring 33,177 people during fiscal 2008 was the highest employee addition in any year," he said.

"We have invested substantially in capability building and in the HR (human resource) system during the year.

"Our ability to train and invest in people gives us a unique competitive advantage.

"Our investment in people enable us to go up the value chain in a significant manner," Pai asserted.

During the fourth quarter (January-March) of the fiscal under review (FY 2008), gross addition was 5,947 people and net addition 2,586 employees.