AI cuts bench strength at TCS, Infosys and Wipro
Big names like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro are cutting down on their bench employees (those not currently assigned to projects) as AI changes the game.
Bench strength has dropped from around 20% to 30% before AI to less than 12% in the past three years, and it's expected to shrink even further to 8% to 10% by fiscal 2027 thanks to smarter planning and more automation.
Reskilling focused on AI, cloud, cybersecurity
IT companies are speeding up how quickly they move people off the bench, trimming wait times from up to two months down to just a month or so.
Now, they're prioritizing skills in AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Infosys is hiring thousands of frontier engineers, TCS is focusing on skill-based hiring with hands-on learning, and Tech Mahindra is back recruiting after a pause, all showing that reskilling and specialized hiring are the new norm in an industry shaped by AI.