Engineering colleges witness strong placement season after two-year lull
After two years of sluggish hiring, Indian engineering colleges are witnessing a strong placement season, with major information technology (IT) services firms ramping up recruitment for 2025-26 (FY26). Overall, hiring in IT services and global capability centres (GCCs) for 2023-24 (FY24) through 2024-25 (FY25) is projected to be 30 per cent higher than the previous year, said HirePro, an artificial intelligence-powered recruitment automation firm. The IT services sector is expected to remain strong for the next seven to eight months, suggesting a robust hiring trend for FY26 through 2026-27.
“Overall, hiring in IT services and GCCs for FY24-25 is projected to be 30 per cent higher than the previous year. IT services firms will outpace GCCs in hiring, having largely paused recruitment for the past 18-24 months,” said S Pasupathi, chief operating officer of HirePro.
Companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCLTech, and Wipro have announced ambitious hiring plans, signalling a revival in campus placements. TCS has announced aggressive hiring, targeting 40,000 or more fresh graduates, while Infosys plans to recruit 20,000 freshers. HCLTech has committed to hiring 10,000 candidates, and Wipro has said it will hire 2,500–3,000 students quarterly from campuses.
Campus hiring for the IT services industry typically runs from July to January, with IT services recruitment peaking between August and February.
“For FY26, hiring is already completed, with only absorption remaining. Most IT firms initially took a wait-and-watch approach, but those that started early have completed 70–80 per cent of their hiring,” said Pasupathi.