Amid Amazon Mass Layoffs, Cognizant To Hire About 25,000 Freshers In 2026

IT services major Cognizant has announced plans to hire around 24,000 to 25,000 freshers in 2026, marking a major push to strengthen its early-career workforce. The move is part of the company's strategy to expand what it calls the "bottom of the pyramid" talent base.

The hiring target is nearly 20 per cent higher than 2025, when the company onboarded close to 20,000 graduates. The decision reflects Cognizant's growing focus on building talent from the ground up rather than relying heavily on experienced lateral hires.

Broader Pyramid Strategy Driven by AI

During the Q4 2025 earnings call, Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S explained that the company is following a "broader pyramid" approach. This strategy uses Artificial Intelligence to move high-value technical expertise down to entry-level employees.

According to Kumar, the company is working to separate revenue growth from headcount growth. In 2025, Cognizant's revenue rose by 6.4 per cent in constant currency, while its workforce grew by only 4 per cent. This resulted in a 5 per cent increase in revenue per employee, showing higher productivity without aggressive hiring.

He added that AI tools now allow younger employees to handle complex tasks that earlier required years of experience.

More School Graduates to Join in 2026

Kumar highlighted a clear shift in hiring patterns over the past three years. The company hired more school graduates in 2025 than in 2024 and plans to increase that number again in 2026.

The idea, he said, is to place advanced knowledge directly into the hands of junior employees. This approach helps Cognizant build a wider talent base early while also creating strong non-linear growth over time.

Out of the 20,000 graduates hired in 2025, about 16,000 are already working on live client projects, while the remaining 4,000 are still undergoing training.

Cognizant CFO Jatin Dalal confirmed that the company aims to scale hiring further next year.

He said the company plans to increase fresher hiring by about 20 per cent, which would take the total intake to 24,000-25,000 graduates in 2026. Dalal added that the company would be pleased if it reaches the upper end of this range.

New Recruitment Model and Skill-Based Hiring

Cognizant has also changed how it recruits talent. Instead of a linear hiring model, the company now follows a graded system. One of the premium hiring categories is called 'Tech Wizards', which includes top candidates from institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology.

Other categories include power programmers and software engineers. Kumar stressed that the company now values learnability more than years of experience, especially in a fast-changing technology environment.

He noted that younger graduates often adapt faster because they do not need to unlearn outdated methods of software development.

AI Seen as Job Creator, Not Job Killer

Addressing fears around AI-led job losses, Kumar said technology disruptions may eliminate outdated roles but create far more opportunities in the future. He explained that AI is helping modernise old software systems and reduce technical debt across enterprises, leading to new kinds of jobs.

Cognizant reported a 18.7 per cent rise in net income, reaching $648 million in the December quarter. Revenue for Q4 2025 stood at $5,333 million, up 4.9 per cent year-on-year from $5,082 million in the same quarter last year.