HCLTech records highest fresher intake in three years amid talent rebuild

At a time when IT firms globally are trimming headcount, HCL Technologies Ltd is doing just the opposite. The company hired nearly 5,200 freshers in the September 2025 quarter — its highest intake in three years.

Even attrition is easing — it fell to a seven-quarter low of 12.6%, suggesting that not everything looks bleak in a sector that employs the largest number of people in India’s private sector.

Interestingly, fresher hiring in the first half of FY26 has already surpassed 90% of last year’s total

intake. Of this, about 18% came from the elite category. So far this year, HCL Tech has hired 7,180 people, compared to 7,829 in all of FY25, according to data compiled by CNBC-TV18.

Also Read: HCLTech Q2 Results: Revenue up 10.7% year-on-year, EBIT margin and revenue guidance unchanged

To put that in perspective, average hiring in five quarters through June 2025 was under 2,000 per quarter, with even net headcount declines in two of those periods.

For FY26, management expects a 40-basis-point impact from restructuring efforts that include workforce realignment due to skill mismatches and slower-moving businesses. Despite that, it sees strong growth potential in newer segments and plans to roll out wage hikes from October 2025.

On the business front, HCL Tech clocked $100 million in AI-led revenues this quarter, which includes GenAI, Agentic AI, and analytics services. The company also beat analysts’ expectations this quarter — constant-currency revenue rose 2.4% (versus a 1.5% estimate), EBIT margin improved 110 bps to 17.4%, and net profit surged 10.2% to ₹4,235 crore.

HCL Tech maintained its FY26 guidance, expecting 3–5% revenue growth and 17–18% operating margins. The company’s total headcount stood at 2,26,640 as of September, a net addition of 3,489 employees sequentially.

Also Read: Q2 results | HCL Technologies declares ₹12 interim dividend; Check record date

Dalal Street seemed to have sensed the good show coming — HCL Tech was the only large-cap IT stock to post gains over the past month, rising nearly 2%, even as the Nifty IT index slipped 2.2%. Ahead of the results, the stock closed almost flat at ₹1,494.70 on the NSE.