IT services major Wipro on Tuesday posted 3.4 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,465.7 crore for the quarter ended September 30, and said its board has approved up to Rs 9,500 crore buyback plan. The Bengaluru-based company, which had registered a net profit (attributable to equity holders of the company) at Rs 2,552.7 crore in the year-ago period, has priced the buyback programme at Rs 400 per share.
IT services major HCL Technologies is looking at hiring about 20,000 people over the next two quarters to meet the demand coming in on the back of strong growth in deal signing and adoption of digital services. The Noida-based company, which crossed $10 billion milestone in the calendar year 2020, had 159,682 employees at the end of December 31, 2020. It saw a gross addition of 12,422 people, while net addition during the December 2020 quarter was of 6,597 people. Attrition for IT services (on last 12 month basis) was at 10.2 per cent.
'Overtightening of monetary policy by central banks and the spread of new Covid variants, which may force governments to restart lockdowns or restrict mobility.'
'We are anticipating that the hiring trend will continue to see double-digit growth at least for the current financial year.'
IT services major Infosys on Wednesday posted a 22.7 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 5,195 crore for the April-June quarter of 2021-22, and raised its revenue growth outlook for the full fiscal. The Bengaluru-based company's net profit (after minority interest) was at Rs 4,233 crore in April-June 2020. Its revenue from operations grew 17.8 per cent to Rs 27,896 crore in the first quarter of FY22 from Rs 23,665 crore in the year-ago period, Infosys said in a regulatory filing.
IT services major Wipro on Friday said it will give wage hikes to junior employees with effect from September 1, 2021. "Wipro Limited will initiate merit salary increases (MSI) for all eligible employees up to Band B3 (assistant manager and below), effective September 1, 2021. "In January 2021, the company had announced salary hikes for eligible employees in these bands, who form 80 per cent of the company's workforce - this is the second hike in this calendar year," Wipro said in a statement. As announced earlier, all eligible employees above band C1 (managers and above) will receive pay hikes effective June 1, it added.
'If the third wave of Covid infections is as bad as the second one, the market may get very polarised with a preference for blue-chips with low volatility.'
Clients are seen realigning their tech strategy by moving works from own captives to third-party service providers which is mostly benefiting to large companies such as Infosys, TCS, Wipro or HCL Technologies.
The IT services giant is also slated to hold a board meeting on April 13 and 14, to approve of and take on record the consolidated financial results of the company for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2021. Indian IT majors will be announcing their fourth quarter (Q4) and 2020-21 results starting April 12. At the end of the Q3 FY21 Infosys had cash and investment of $4.5 billion.
IT services giant Infosys will start construction of a proposed software development centre in the metropolis by July 2021, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday. The project will generate massive employment in the IT sector, she said after a cabinet meeting at the state secretariat.
IT services major Infosys on Wednesday announced a new programme, wherein it will offer 500 job seekers the opportunity to complete a fully digital, online diploma course certified by Salesforce. The programme aims to prepare Americans for 21st century careers in the technology sector. Leveraging Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning platform, the program will train these 500 American workers, free of cost, for roles at Infosys as Salesforce Certified Administrators and Salesforce Industries Developers, a statement said. The programme, targeting recent graduates from major universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges, will help Infosys to create a workforce prepared for the future, it added.
'Sectors that had been left out till now will also start participating in the rally.'
Despite the Sensex's 74 per cent run-up over the past year, the Indian equity market could still reward investors if the expected revival in earnings materialises, according to market experts. Returns during the coming year are more likely to be in line with longer-term trends (the Sensex's five-year return is around 14 per cent). Several factors are expected to aid the market's performance this year.
A fearless competitor who used brain and brawn in equal measure, Subhas Bhowmick was one of the most fascinating characters in Indian football through the 1970s with his muscular built and equally expressive carefree opinions.
Under the new model, the IT services firm will replace the current structure of its various strategic business units, service lines and geographies with four strategic market units and two global business lines.
Speaking at a function organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to observe the "Legal Services Day", CJI NV Ramana said students, educated in law, are empowered to be the voices of vulnerable and marginalised sections of the society. "Your decision to join the legal aid movement will pave the path for a great career. This will help you inculcate empathy, understanding and a sense of selflessness. Remember, unlike other professions, the legal profession is not about profit maximization, but about service to the society," the CJI said.
Twitter said it will continue to be strictly guided by principles of transparency, a commitment to empowering every voice on the service, and protecting freedom of expression and privacy under the rule of law.
IT services major Infosys on Wednesday posted a 17.5 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 5,076 crore for the March quarter, and announced up to Rs 9,200 crore buyback offer at a maximum price of Rs 1,750 per share.
Top Indian IT firms, such as TCS, Infosys, and Wipro, have signalled taking aggressive cost take-out measures, including reduction in sub-contracting costs, travel expenses, freeze in salary hikes, and holding back variable payments, among others.
Wipro, which gets bulk of its topline from IT services, said it expects revenues from that business to be in the range of $2,095 million to $2,137 million in the March quarter - a sequential growth of flat to 2 per cent.
From helping their employees infected with the Covid-19 virus to vaccinating them or supporting the families of those who might have succumbed to the infection, several companies in India are trying to do their bit in this difficult time. Some have even widened their support net to include all stakeholders as well as an extended community. To the families of the employees it lost to Covid-19, Noida-headquartered IT services and consulting company HCL Technologies is, for instance, paying salary for a year, medical insurance for three years and extending support for their children's education for five years.
Demand for digital technologies and resumption of normal economic activities will drive sales for IT companies, and the sector will post a revenue growth of up to 9 per cent in 2021-22, a report said on Thursday. Rating agency Icra gave a "stable" outlook for the sector, whose size is pegged at over $180 billion by industry lobby Nasscom, including the business process outsourcing business. The IT services sector's revenues will rise between 7-9 per cent in rupee terms and between 5-8 per cent in dollar terms in 2021-22, it estimated.
TCS, Infosys ramp up onshore hiring; Infosys committed to hire 25,000 over 5 years.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics, with various members urging the government not to exclude single parents and the LGBTQ community from using this procedure.
The second quarter of FY22 continued to show double digit growth for the top four IT services providers, with every vertical and geography growing well, even though the total contract value (TCV) looked soft for all the players. The trend was first evident in Accenture's Q4 numbers, which saw its TCV in outsourcing deals softer. A soft TCV does not mean that growth is declining, but it does point to the trend of few and scarcer mega deals.
IT major Infosys on Thursday acknowledged that some users continue to experience difficulties in accessing the income tax portal and assured that it is working expeditiously, in collaboration with the income tax department to further streamline end-user experience.
'This is not an attack on Rahul Gandhi. This is not you know simply shutting Rahul Gandhi down. I have 19-20 million followers. You are denying them the right to an opinion. That's what you are doing'
Stock market crash: TCS sheds $21 billion in market capitalisation, Infosys $7 billion and Wipro around $3 billion
Top Indian IT services companies - TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech - have said that they would continue to hire freshers through campus interviews, though lateral hiring will be mostly on exception basis.
Business executives are finally dusting off their long-unused suitcases to resume travel, thanks to a good vaccination rate, a drop in fresh cases, and an easing of travel restrictions. It comes as a huge relief for the ravaged aviation, travel and hospitality sectors. "We are witnessing a 40 per cent recovery on pre-covid volumes from our business travellers, signalling the return of corporate confidence in air travel," said Indiver Rastogi, president & group head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) & SOTC.
IT services major Cognizant on Thursday said it is offering bonuses that are "substantially higher than 2019" and has promoted more than 24,000 employees across levels. The step, aimed at helping the company stem attrition, will also see Cognizant moving to a quarterly promotion cycle for billable employees at the senior associate level and below, starting in the June quarter of 2021.
Most of the large Indian IT services players, such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Tech, have signalled increased offshoring efforts and opting for local hires in the US, primarily to address the immigration-related challenges.
The country's second-largest IT services firm Infosys on Wednesday reported a 16.6 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 5,197 crore for the December 2020 quarter. The company had posted a net profit (after minority interest) of Rs 4,457 crore in the year-ago period, Infosys said in a regulatory filing. Its revenue grew 12.3 per cent to Rs 25,927 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 23,092 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.
The IT firm will soon initiate discussions with colleges to start the process from September.
India's largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services' board will meet later this week to consider a share buyback proposal. The board is also slated to consider its financial results for the September quarter and declaration of a second interim dividend to the equity shareholders at that meeting.
The Metro, which suspended its services in March, reopened with caution putting into place a series of measures such as thermal scanners and sanitisers among others to enable commuters to adhere to COVID social distancing protocols.
This is expected to benefit subcontractor firms such as Manpower Group, Randstad, Adecco, Kelly Services, Allegis Global Solutions and a host of other boutique staffing firms which supply skilled manpower to technology companies in the US.
'Opportunity for a country like India is huge in terms of wealth creation.' 'That's the reason India is an attractive economy for investors.'
Though global IT services spending is likely to cross the $1-trillion mark to reach $1.031 trillion, growth rate will slow to 3.8% in 2019, compared to 6.7% last year according to reports