TCS onboards 10,000 freshers in July-September, says hiring will follow demand

Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest IT services employer, onboarded about 10,000 freshers in the July-September 2026 quarter and added 4,258 people overall, according to the quarterly fact sheet it released with its results on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Its total workforce stood at 598,056 at the end of the quarter. Chief Human Resources Officer Sudeep Kunnumal said the company would keep hiring in line with client demand, especially for newer technologies, and that campus hiring for students graduating next year was in its final stages.

For engineering graduates and early-career IT workers, TCS is a bellwether. It is the largest private employer in Indian technology, and its fresher intake often signals how much room the rest of the sector has for new entrants. After a year in which the company shrank its workforce, three straight quarters of net additions point to a steadier market. The 10,000 freshers who joined this quarter, on top of about 14,000 in the previous one, also mean that most of the offers made at the start of the year are being honoured, which was a worry for many graduates in recent hiring cycles.

The company's message, however, is that hiring will be tied to demand. In plain terms, offers and joining dates depend on contracts won, and the strongest demand is for skills linked to artificial intelligence, cloud and data. Kunnumal said TCS sees good demand for these technologies and will continue to hire, while balancing experienced staff, early-career hires and building skills internally. That last point matters: large IT firms are increasingly retraining existing staff rather than hiring for every new skill.

The wider job market tells a similar story. Naukri's September index rose to 3,053 from 3,002 a year earlier, a sign of stable but not booming demand. Growth was concentrated in AI and machine-learning roles and in senior, higher-paid positions, while fresher hiring barely grew.

Short-term: Graduates holding TCS offers have more reason to expect joining dates in the coming months. Lower attrition means fewer openings created by people leaving, so lateral hiring may stay selective.

Long-term: Entry-level roles are moving towards candidates with AI, data and cloud skills. Students who add these skills, through coursework, certifications or projects, are likely to be better placed as firms hire "for demand".

Who is affected: Final-year engineering and computer science students, recent graduates waiting to join, mid-career IT staff weighing a move, and training providers that prepare students for campus placements.

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