Wipro has cut its FY26 fresher hiring target to around 7,500–8,000.
Campus recruitment remained muted in Q3, with only about 400 freshers joining during the quarter.
CHRO Saurabh Govil said the revised hiring range reflects slower intake through the rest of the financial year.
Wipro Cuts FY26 Fresher Intake Target to 7,500–8,000, Ramps Up AI-Focused Hiring
During Wipro’s Q3 earnings press conference on Friday, CHRO Saurabh Govil said, “This quarter, recruitment from campuses was muted; we had only about 400-odd freshers join… (by the end of this fiscal). We had said 10,000. I think we’ll end up between 7,500–8,000"
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IT services firm Wipro has lowered its fresher recruitment outlook for the ongoing financial year (FY26). The company now expects to hire around 7,500–8,000 new graduates, compared with its earlier estimate of 10,000–12,000.
During Wipro’s Q3 earnings press conference on Friday, CHRO Saurabh Govil said, “This quarter, recruitment from campuses was muted; we had only about 400-odd freshers join… (by the end of this fiscal). We had said 10,000. I think we’ll end up between 7,500–8,000.”
The revision follows a subdued third-quarter performance, during which the Bengaluru-headquartered company added roughly 400 entry-level employees, reported PTI.
Despite the quarterly slowdown, the company’s year-to-date fresher intake remains above 5,000. Wipro added 6,529 employees during the October–December quarter, bringing its total staff count to 2,42,021.
The increase was largely attributed to the consolidation of the Harman DTS acquisition and the redeployment of staff under a large contract secured last year, known as the Phoenix deal. On employee pay revisions, the company said a decision is still being finalised.
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On Friday, Wipro also reported a 7% drop in consolidated net profit to ₹3,119 crore for the third quarter of FY26, impacted by one-time restructuring costs and the rollout of new labour codes. Revenue from operations rose 5.5% year on year to ₹23,555.8 crore in Q3 FY26, up from ₹22,318.8 crore in the same quarter last year.
Company executives noted that while overall hiring volumes have slowed, Wipro is sharpening its emphasis on building a workforce that is ready for AI-led projects.
“From a recruitment standpoint, especially on campuses, what we have done is create Centres of Excellence, 50 of them across different universities, where we work with the university to build a curriculum in a specific area. This could be AI, cybersecurity, data, and more. We work with them and then hire people from there. I think that’s the approach we are taking,” the Wipro CHRO said.
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He added that premiums are paid to people who have experience with client projects in those areas.
“That’s how we are pressing on AI skills. And then there is a lot of work happening in-house to upskill our existing talent in terms of certifications,” Govil said.
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