TCS Delays Onboarding of 600 Experienced Hires — Signals Looming Layoffs?

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has postponed the onboarding of over 600 lateral hires with no confirmed dates. The candidates, many with 2–18 years of experience, had already resigned from previous roles based on confirmed offers. TCS sent emails stating 'indefinite delay' to hiring. This has led to concerns over job security and financial stability among existing employees.

The employee group NITES has written to the Ministry of Labour, seeking intervention and urging TCS to offer clarity, potential compensation, and mental health support for affected professionals. This development follows TCS’s recent update to its benching policy, reducing the period unassigned employees can remain on the bench to 35 days—a move that some see as a precursor to structured exits.

TCS’s new benching policy capping non-billable days at 35 has sparked fears of mass layoffs, especially as global tech companies are downsizing. Reddit users report “forced resignations,” likening the move to silent layoffs.

Earlier this year, Infosys laid off 300 freshers after they failed internal assessments, and major global players like Amazon and Microsoft have also trimmed their workforces. TCS has said it remains committed to honoring existing offers but will do so based on business demand.

Rising AI adoption and industry-wide cuts are deepening employee uncertainty. The wave of job losses across the tech industry is partly being driven by AI, which is automating many roles. Recently, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivasan remarked that recruiter jobs could soon become redundant due to the company’s AI browser, Comet.