At the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Infosys’s top leadership sent a strong signal about the company’s direction in the era of artificial intelligence. CEO Salil Parekh confirmed that Infosys plans to hire around 20,000 college graduates in the financial year 2027, tying this aggressive campus intake to expanding opportunities in AI-driven services and digital transformation.
This hiring strategy comes on the heels of a strong recruitment year in FY26, where Infosys already onboarded approximately 18,000 fresh graduates in the first three quarters and saw its net headcount grow by over 5,000 employees in the December quarter. The company expects its total graduate hiring for FY26 to reach around 20,000, with another 20,000 planned for April 2026–March 2027.
AI-Led Growth: The Strategic Backdrop
Parekh’s comments at Davos underscored how AI is reshaping client demand. As enterprises globally adopt AI agents, foundation models, and automation platforms, demand has surged for services that support these transitions — especially in areas such as AI-augmented software development, customer support solutions, and modernization of complex legacy systems. By aligning its workforce planning with this shift, Infosys aims to capture a significant share of the growing AI services market.
Rather than reducing talent, which many tech companies have done amid economic uncertainty, Infosys is expanding its fresh graduate hiring, a move that reflects confidence in sustained demand. This aggressive approach also positions it to compete for the best young talent — particularly those skilled in AI, data science, cloud engineering, and next-generation software roles.
What This Means for the IT Sector
The decision to scale up graduate hiring through AI-focused roles serves as an important signal for the Indian and global IT landscape. In a year where layoffs made headlines in parts of the tech ecosystem, Infosys’s commitment to adding significant numbers of entry-level professionals highlights a belief that AI is not just a cost-saving automation play but a growth engine requiring new human capital.
For graduates and early-career professionals, this translates to a rare window of opportunity in a market where many traditional entry-level paths have been eroded by automation or restructuring. It also suggests that companies pioneering AI adoption may demand new skill sets — from AI model integration to responsible AI programming, data governance, and hybrid human-AI workflow design.
Looking Ahead
Infosys’s plan to hire 20,000 college graduates is not merely an HR announcement; it is a strategic statement about where the company sees the future of enterprise services. By tying hiring plans to a broader AI transition framework, Infosys reinforces its belief that AI adoption will create more specialized work rather than simply displace roles. As enterprises accelerate their digital transformations, demand for skilled talent capable of integrating AI into business processes is expected to grow, making this hiring blueprint a possible bellwether for technology industry employment trends in 2026 and beyond.
