IT services major Cognizant has announced plans to hire between 24,000 and 25,000 fresh graduates in 2026, marking a significant 20 percent increase from its 2025 intake as the company doubles down on building its entry-level workforce amid the AI revolution. This comes as a positive news for the IT sector that has been reeling with layoffs since last year.
Cognizant to hire more freshers than last year
In a counter-narrative to widespread fears of AI-induced job losses in the tech sector, Cognizant's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jatin Dalal confirmed the aggressive hiring push during a post-earnings press conference. "We hired close to 20,000 school graduates in 2025. For next year, we plan to increase this by about 20 percent. So we would be very happy to land around 24,000-25,000 for 2026," Dalal stated.
The announcement comes as the company reports that artificial intelligence (AI) tools and automation are actually enabling faster productivity among early-career engineers, allowing the firm to expand rather than contract its workforce pyramid.
'Broader Pyramid' strategy takes shape
CEO Ravi Kumar S explained that Cognizant is pursuing a "broader pyramid" approach, deliberately investing in junior talent rather than relying heavily on experienced lateral hires. The strategy involves equipping entry-level employees with advanced technical knowledge through AI partnerships with major platforms including Anthropic, Google's Gemini, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
"Our thesis is as we continue on our partnerships with Anthropic, Gemini, OpenAI, Microsoft, and all the AI platforms, you will notice that the value can be drifted to the bottom, distributed, and we can have a broader pyramid," Kumar said.
Strong deployment record
Of the 20,000 graduates hired in 2025, approximately 16,000 are already deployed on live client projects, while the remaining 4,000 continue to undergo training. This deployment rate underscores the company's ability to quickly integrate fresh talent into productive roles.
Cognizant reported a strong quarter
The hiring expansion comes alongside strong financial performance. Cognizant reported an 18.7 percent rise in net income to $648 million in the December quarter, with revenue reaching $5.33 billion, up 4.9 percent year-on-year. Notably, the company achieved a 5 percent increase in revenue per employee, demonstrating its success in decoupling revenue growth from headcount expansion.
