Cognizant, the US-based IT giant with a massive presence in India, has announced it will hire 20,000 freshers in 2025, more than double last year’s intake. The hiring spree is a part of its larger strategy to reshape its talent pyramid and support growing demand in managed services and AI-led software development.
The company’s headcount remains steady at around 3.36 lakh employees, but CEO Ravi Kumar S emphasized the importance of “talent amplification” to drive growth and innovation across the enterprise.
Strengthening the Talent Pyramid Amid Rising AI Adoption
Cognizant is responding to a surge in managed services projects over the past two years, prompting the need for a broader and more cost-efficient workforce base. “It comes equally with the overhead of carrying higher bench at a lower cost and actually offshore,” noted Kumar.
To address this, the company is focusing on three key priorities:
- Hiring fresh graduates to optimize the workforce structure
- Improving productivity through AI
- Enhancing resource utilization to manage human capital costs effectively
Rebuilding the Workforce with Alumni and AI Upskilling
Cognizant also revealed that it is actively re-engaging with former talent. 14,000 ex-employees have already rejoined, and 10,000 more are in the pipeline. In parallel, the company is upskilling its workforce at scale, preparing for an AI-first future.
“As we amplify our talent, we are strengthening our pipeline with the skills needed for the AI era,” said Kumar. By using AI to identify talent pools, accelerate deployment, and train employees, Cognizant is aligning itself with new opportunities emerging from AI transformations across industries.
Growth Backed by Strong Q1 Performance
Cognizant reported a 7.45% year-on-year revenue growth, clocking $5.1 billion for the January–March quarter of 2025. This performance underscores the firm’s ability to blend strategic hiring with digital transformation to maintain momentum despite global headwinds.
Cognizant’s fresh hiring strategy, backed by reskilling and AI integration, signals its readiness to compete in the next wave of IT innovation. With a sharper focus on cost optimization and talent agility, the company aims to build a workforce that can meet tomorrow’s tech challenges—starting today.
