Cognizant to hike pay for 80% staff from Nov, top India talent to get high single-digit raises

During the second-quarter earning, Cognizant said the vast majority of staff would receive merit-based hikes in the second-half of the year.

By  Storyboard18| Aug 14, 2025 12:37 PM
Cognizant added around 7,500 employees in the June quarter, taking its total headcount to 343,800.

US multinational IT services and consulting firm Cognizant Technology Solutions has said it will be awarding salary hikes to around 80% of its eligible employees with effect from November 1.

During the second-quarter earning, the company said the vast majority of staff would receive merit-based hikes in the second-half of the year.

According to the Moneycontrol report, the top performer in India will see a high single-digit hike. Earlier this year, the company's most associate received their highest bonuses in three years.

While the increment season at Cognizant usually starts from August 1, the macroeconomic headwinds, including US President Donald Trump's tariff actions, resulted in delayed decisions.

Cognizant added around 7,500 employees in the June quarter, taking its total headcount to 343,800, while the attrition dropped to 15.2% on a last-12-month basis.

The company plans to hire 15,000-20,000 freshers in 2025.

Recently, Indian IT services giant Infosys also announced that it will be hiring around 20,000 college graduates this year. The Bengaluru-headquartered firm recruited over 17,000 people (gross hiring) in the first quarter and plans to bring in about 20,000 college graduates this year.

On the other hand, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced to layoff 2% of its global workforce, that is, 12,000 employees.

First Published onAug 14, 2025 12:37 PM

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