Infosys fires 600 employees after they fail freshers assessment test
What's the story
A failed internal freshers assessment (FA) test has resulted in the axing of 600 freshers by Indian IT services giant Infosys.
Last month, Wipro, another leading IT firm in the country, fired over 450 freshers citing poor performance in internal evaluation.
Per Business Today, the freshers were sacked over the last two months.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Indian IT companies hired in bulk during the pandemic. However, the post-pandemic economic downturn has resulted in onboarding delays and rescinded offer letters.
Many freshers have been left in limbo due to the uncertainty surrounding their jobs. The firings amid this are a cause for concern.
Considering the current state of the IT sector, this makes life even harder for freshers.
Fired
Most fired freshers were hired after July 2022
Most of the freshers Infosys fired were those who were hired after July 2022. Out of 150 freshers in the SAP ABAP team, only 60 people passed the exam, a fresher onboarded in August 2022 told Business Today.
"Rest all of us were terminated two weeks ago," they added.
From the batch onboarded in July 2022, 85 out of 150 were terminated.
FA test
Failing the FA test always resulted in termination: Infosys
According to the employees who were fired, those who joined the company before July 2022 were not fired after failing the FA test. The company, on the other hand, claims that failing the FA test has always resulted in termination.
Out of the 600 who were axed, 208 were fired two weeks ago.
Per its quarterly results, Infosys hired 6,000 freshers in Q3 FY23.
Delayed onboarding
Hundreds of freshers are waiting for intimation from Infosys
While Infosys fired hundred of freshers for failing the FA test, many who received their offer letters from the company months ago are waiting for clarity on their future.
Infosys is yet to inform them about when they can join the company. "Now some of my friends who got onboarded are fired, that makes me feel scared about my prospects," one of them said.
Wipro
Wipro axed 452 freshers after internal performance evaluation
In January, another Indian IT giant Wipro axed 452 employees following an internal performance evaluation. At the time, the company said that only those who scored the lowest were fired.
However, fired employees claimed that the internal evaluation was simply an excuse for the company to terminate roles.
Wipro had also faced flak for delayed onboarding of freshers.