Infosys under fire from NITES for holding back onboarding of 2,000 freshers from 2022
Infosys under fire from NITES for holding back onboarding of 2,000 freshers from 2022
The onboarding process for nearly 2,000 engineering graduates hired by Infosys in 2022 remains unresolved, leaving many in a state of uncertainty. According to reports, these freshers, recruited for roles like System Engineer and Digital Specialist Engineer, have faced ongoing delays despite receiving offer letters over two years ago.
The issues began when Infosys initiated pre-training sessions, with the latest scheduled for August 19. However, numerous candidates have reported not receiving login credentials for these sessions. The company had initially indicated that only a small number of hires were pending, but the situation has persisted with candidates being repeatedly subjected to pre-training and assessments, causing growing frustration.
The IT industry-wide slowdown, which began in 2022, has intensified the problem. The slump in the IT sector, driven by fears of a recession and decreased discretionary spending, led to a significant reduction in hiring. Infosys, in particular, saw a drop from hiring over 50,000 freshers in the fiscal year 2022-23 to around 11,900 in the following year, according to CEO Salil Parekh.
The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), a Pune-based IT employee union, has filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour and Employment. NITES accuses Infosys of exploiting and mistreating these graduates by continuously delaying their onboarding and requiring them to undergo unpaid pre-training and additional assessments.
Harpreet Singh Saluja, President of NITES, criticized Infosys for what he termed a breach of trust. He emphasized that this situation is not just a corporate misstep but a serious issue impacting the IT workforce and the economy. NITES has called for government intervention to address these exploitative practices and safeguard the rights of these young professionals.
In response, Infosys has stated that it plans to increase its hiring significantly in FY25, aiming to recruit between 15,000 and 20,000 graduates. The company also intends to resume campus and off-campus placements, with expectations for the top four IT firms in India to collectively hire around 82,000 freshers.
