Wipro Cautious on Campus Hiring, to Take Wage Hike Decision Near Sept

IT services major Wipro has said it will decide on wage hikes for its over 2.3 lakh employees closer to the next appraisal cycle in September, amid continued uncertainty stemming from global macroeconomic conditions and US tariffs.

In the fourth quarter of FY25, Wipro’s headcount rose by 614, bringing the total to 233,346.

“We are still quite far from the next cycle. In this uncertain environment, we will decide on wage hikes closer to the date,” said Saurabh Govil, Wipro’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), during the post-earnings press conference.

Earlier, TCS had also announced that it would defer salary hikes for employees due to global economic headwinds.

Wipro saw its net workforce utilisation improve to 85.6% during the quarter, which Govil said still has "room for improvement."

He added that the company met its FY24 campus hiring target, onboarding 10,000 freshers during the year. However, no specific hiring guidance was provided for FY26.

Govil emphasized that while Wipro continues to hire from campuses, it remains cautious about onboarding timelines to ensure that new hires are placed on projects.

“We are mindful of hiring and then delaying onboarding. We’ve burned our fingers before,” Govil said, alluding to the post-COVID years when Wipro issued thousands of offer letters but delayed onboarding for several months. Some new hires were later asked to accept lower pay to be onboarded sooner.

Govil also addressed concerns about low starting salaries for freshers, which at Wipro can be as low as Rs 3.5 lakh per annum.

“This is not a Wipro-specific issue. It’s something across the industry,” he said, adding that Wipro offers "competitive compensation."

During the press conference, Wipro CEO Srini Pallia said, “We’ve moved our top talent into strategic roles and launched initiatives to help them succeed.”

Meanwhile, Wipro shared its guidance for Q1 FY26, saying it expects revenue from its IT Services business to be in the range of $2,505 million to $2,557 million, translating to a sequential decline of 1.5% to 3.5% in constant currency terms.

But CEO Pallia noted continued momentum in large deals, stating, “We closed 17 large deals with a total value of $1.8 billion across sectors and markets. Clients are focused on cost, speed, and AI-led efficiency — and that’s where we are winning.”

He added that recent tariff measures announced by former US President Donald Trump have increased uncertainty in the industry, leading clients to adopt a more cautious approach.

“We won two mega deals this year. It’s a clear sign that our large deal engine is working,” he said.