FAAMNG firms ramp up hiring in India amid global layoffs
What's the story
Despite the global trend of layoffs, tech giants under the FAAMNG umbrella—Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google—are expanding their workforce in India. According to staffing firm Xpheno, these companies have increased their headcount by 16% over the past year. The growth rate is slightly higher than 15% for the period ending August 2024.
Employee growth
FAAMNG firms added over 28,000 employees in last 1 year
In the last one year, FAAMNG firms added over 28,000 employees. The total headcount of these companies and their affiliates in India is now estimated to be over 208,000. Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, said the hiring rate is "relatively healthy," especially with AI's potential impact on hiring pace and volume.
Hiring trends
Despite global layoffs, strong hiring demand in India
Despite large-scale layoffs in the US, with an estimated 100,000 employees laid off globally, FAAMNG companies continue to show strong hiring demand in India. They currently have 4,500 active job openings. This comes after a hiring boom during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw net additions for these companies grow by 35% year-on-year in 2022 but slow down to just 6% growth last year.
Market comparison
Top 6 Indian IT services firms' headcount growth
In contrast to FAAMNG's growth, the top six Indian IT services firms saw a 22% year-on-year increase in headcount additions in 2022. However, they have since witnessed declines of 0.2% and 3.1% in 2023 and 2024, respectively. As of June 2025, these firms' combined headcount grew by a modest 1.3% year-on-year to over 16 lakh employees.
Major layoffs
TCS lays off 12,000 mid-to-senior-level employees
In a major move, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) recently announced the layoff of 12,000 mid-to-senior-level employees. The company cited skills mismatch in project deployments as the reason for this decision. This comes amid a larger trend of selective hiring and a focus on specialized skills such as AI and cloud computing in the Indian IT industry.
Skill demand
Selective hiring and focus on specialized skills
Neeti Sharma, CEO of IT staffing firm TeamLease Digital, said while some layoffs are affecting India, the volumes aren't as high as global numbers. She noted that hiring is increasingly selective and focused on specialized skills like AI and cloud computing. "There is a high demand for skills such as AI, cloud and cybersecurity," Sharma said.
Upskilling
Employees under pressure to perform and upskill
Sharma also said employees are under more pressure to perform and upskill, especially in AI and cloud. This is because companies are focusing on retaining top talent while building leaner teams. According to Quess IT Staffing, hiring by large tech firms in India fell by 3-6% in Q4 of FY2025 but rose by about 8-10% in Q1 of FY2026.