FAAMNG firms hire 13,600 workers in India this year
What's the story
The FAAMNG group, which includes Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Google as well as their affiliates, has hired some 13,600 people in India so far this year. The figure marks a modest increase of 6% from the same period last year when these companies had hired around 12,800 professionals. The data was shared by Xpheno—a specialized staffing firm—highlighting a cautious return to hiring trends among major tech players.
Hiring forecast
TeamLease Digital predicts 16-20% growth in Big Tech hiring
Despite a cautious approach, TeamLease Digital has predicted that Big Tech hiring in India will grow by 16-20% this year. This growth is expected to be driven by the demand for AI, cloud computing, platform engineering talent, and the continued expansion of Global Capability Centers (GCCs). The forecast comes amid a selective hiring process as companies assess changes in workforce composition and demand for specialized AI skills.
Past hiring trends
Record high net addition last year
In 2025, Big Tech companies and their affiliates added some 32,000 employees in India. This was a record high net addition in three years. However, the first half of this year was marred by mass layoffs at US tech giants such as Oracle, Meta and Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. These layoffs also affected their Indian workforce amid uncertainty over H-1B visa fee and tightening non-immigrant visa policies in the US.
Layoff effects
Meta cut 8,000 jobs globally in April
In April, Meta announced its plan to cut 10% of its workforce or about 8,000 employees globally. The move was aimed at improving efficiency and offsetting heavy spending on artificial intelligence. The decision also impacted dozens of job roles in India. Despite the hiring slowdown, Xpheno's data shows that Meta and around 33 of its affiliates have added some 1,600 people in India this year so far.
Hiring trends
H-1B fee hikes impact US hiring
Apart from Meta and Oracle's 12,000 job cuts in India, hiring from other big tech companies has also been modest. Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, believes that the outlook for big tech hiring in India remains positive but selective. She noted that H-1B fee hikes have made US hiring prohibitively expensive and redirected AI and deep-tech demand to India.