Cognizant to step up hiring in Mar quarter

Cognizant has stepped up its hiring efforts for both freshers and lateral hires in the country and expects the number of new recruits in the March quarter to be "more than ever before", Cognizant India Chairman and Managing Director Rajesh Nambiar said.

The US-based company, which has over two lakh employees in India, expects to hire more than 23,000 fresh graduates this year in the country.

"India has always been and will continue to be a very important part of what we do in Cognizant. At nearly 2,04,500, our India headcount at the end of 2020 was Cognizant's highest ever in the country. We continue to be one of the top recruiters of high-quality engineering, science, management and other talent in India," Nambiar said.

He added that the company hired more than 17,000 fresh graduates from campuses in calendar year 2020, and expects to hire over 23,000 fresh graduates in 2021 - 35% more than in 2020.

He noted that the company continues to heavily reskill and upskill its employees. This year, the programme is being expanded to accommodate 10,000 interns, he added.