Wipro's Strategic Shift in Talent Acquisition

Wipro, India's fourth-largest IT services provider, is adopting a new approach to strengthen its internal workforce in anticipation of market recovery and growth by 2025. The company, under the leadership of CEO Srinivas Pallia, aims for stability following a period of senior-level departures. The strategy emphasizes continuity with minimal alterations to existing structures and strategies, balancing internal promotions with external recruitment.

After a two-year period of minimal recruitment across the $254 billion software services industry, Wipro has resumed hiring both fresh graduates and experienced professionals. The company anticipates recruiting approximately 7,000-7,500 individuals by the end of December, addressing all pending appointments.

Changing the 'Hire and Then Train' Model

Wipro has shifted its recruitment strategy for engineering institutions, modifying the traditional 'hire and then train' approach. The new strategy involves collaborating with partners like Microsoft, Google, and AWS to train and assess potential hires before onboarding them, ensuring they are deployable much faster. This 'train and then hire' model is designed to align educational institutions with industry requirements, making graduates revenue-ready upon joining.

Wipro has established partnerships with institutions including IIT-Delhi, IISc-Bangalore, and various regional universities across 10 cities to support research and development in contemporary technologies such as cybersecurity, big data, and cloud computing.

Market Recovery and Future Challenges

Under the leadership of CEO Srinivas Pallia, who assumed the role in April following Thierry Delaporte's departure, Wipro continues to elevate experienced staff members to senior leadership positions. The company has observed preliminary indicators of business recovery and improved client engagement in North America and the financial services sector.

Despite potential challenges ahead, including increased attrition and higher wage costs affecting profit margins, Wipro remains focused on ensuring adequate supply-side capacity to meet anticipated demand as market conditions improve.