🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Wipro’s revenue slowdown arrives as its hiring model changes

• Wipro’s revenue slowdown lines up with pressure across India’s IT services sector, which is cutting back the mass campus hiring it became known for 1.
• Entry-level pay has stayed around 3–400,000 rupees (US$4,300) per year since the pandemic, while experienced professionals can earn up to 2.2 million rupees (US$24,000) 1.
• Indian IT services firms are also laying off trainees and employees who are on the bench while waiting for projects. Critics describe it as cost-cutting that hits the most vulnerable workers first 1.
• Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which are offshore hubs set up by multinational companies to handle technology and business operations, are drawing more interest from some engineering graduates, though they hire fewer people and pick more selectively 1.

An earnings miss raises the stakes for AI-led productivity

• Generative AI is pushing Indian IT services companies to rethink long-used measures like billing rates versus salaries 1.
• AI has already reduced entry-level IT roles by up to 25% as India moves toward specialised hiring, according to Storyboard18, an Indian media publication focused on advertising, marketing, and business news 1.
• Wipro describes AI adoption as a change management challenge, not just a technology one. It ties the value to reshaping roles and workflows, not only rolling out tools 2.
• That shift leaves Wipro needing to sell change projects linked to business outcomes, supported by updates to people and processes, rather than growing delivery mainly by adding staff 2.