IT Fresher Hiring in 2026: What TCS and Infosys Numbers Tell You

IT fresher hiring in 2026: what changed

If you are an engineering, BCA or MCA graduate in India, you have probably noticed that the old rhythm has broken. For years the plan was simple: clear the aptitude test of one or two big IT services companies, get an offer, join in a batch of hundreds, train for a few months, and start your career. In 2026 that path still exists, but it is narrower, slower and pickier than it was.

I mentor students and early-career developers across South Asia, and the anxious messages about "IT fresher hiring 2026" have been constant this year: offers with no joining date, tests with no result, and friends comparing which company is hiring at all. This post is my honest reading of the numbers, what the big services companies now want from freshers, and how to plan so you are not stuck waiting for one email.

The numbers, from the companies themselves

• TCS: rolled out 25,000 fresher offers for FY27, compared with more than 44,000 freshers hired in FY26. CEO K Krithivasan said the company is open to hiring more if demand visibility improves, and fresh graduates go through roughly nine months of training before project assignment (Angel One, 13 April 2026).
• Infosys: said it hired more than 20,000 freshers in FY26 and plans about 20,000 in FY27, while overall headcount dipped in the March quarter and attrition fell to 12.6% (People Matters, 24 April 2026).
• The wider market: the Naukri JobSpeak report for September 2026 shows IT and software services hiring down 4% year on year, while AI/ML hiring rose 20% and fresher AI/ML hiring rose 19% (ETV Bharat, 2 October 2026).

Read those together and the message is clear. The big companies are still hiring freshers in tens of thousands, which is a lot of jobs. But the intake is smaller than the peak years, it depends on demand, and the profile they want has shifted towards AI, cloud and digital skills. The days when any engineering graduate with a decent aptitude score could expect an offer are over.

Why fresher hiring at services companies has slowed

I do not have inside knowledge of any company's plans, so I will stick to what is visible.

• Client demand is cautious. Services companies hire freshers ahead of projects. When clients slow spending, the first thing to slow is the fresher pipeline.
• AI is absorbing routine work. A CIEL HR report covered by Communications Today on 9 September 2026 estimates AI can handle up to 70% of the workload in ticket resolution and report generation and 65% in test case creation. Those are exactly the tasks freshers used to be trained on.
• Pyramids are being reshaped, not abandoned. Companies still need people at the bottom of the pyramid who can be trained, which is why Infosys is keeping its fresher target. They just want those people to arrive more ready.

What services companies now want from freshers

Across the students I mentor who cleared these processes in 2026, the pattern is consistent.

Higher-tier tracks are where the growth is

Most big services companies run tiered fresher tracks: a standard role, and higher-paying "digital" or specialist roles that need stronger coding. Names and packages change from year to year, so check each company's official careers page for the current tracks instead of trusting screenshots. What matters is the direction: the higher tracks test real coding (DSA problems, not just aptitude), and those are the offers that are holding up best.

Actual coding, not just aptitude

The tests still include aptitude and reasoning, but the coding sections decide who gets the better track. Be comfortable with arrays, strings, hashing, sorting, recursion and basic trees, in one language you know properly. The DSA roadmap and the DSA cheat sheet give you a sensible order. How many LeetCode problems are enough will stop you over-grinding.

AI, cloud and data basics

TCS's leadership has talked about building an "AI-first culture" and a "future-ready" workforce. For a fresher, that does not mean being an AI researcher. It means you have used AI coding tools responsibly, you understand how a simple LLM feature works, and you know the basics of one cloud. The coding with AI tools roadmap and which cloud to learn first are good starting points.

Clean communication

Services work is client work. Clear emails, clear status updates and the ability to explain what you built count in the interview and in the job.

The services track vs the alternatives

I go through the GCC option in detail in how to get a job at a GCC in India. For the general choice, read software house or product company for your first job and should you join a trainee programme or a direct junior role.

A plan that does not depend on one email

The biggest mistake I see in 2026 is waiting. A student clears one test, gets an offer letter with no date, and stops applying anywhere else. Then months pass. Here is what I recommend instead.

1. Apply on multiple tracks at once

Register for the national hiring tests of the big services companies, apply to two or three GCC programmes, and send direct applications to mid-size companies. Treat it as a pipeline, not a lottery. My post a job search is a pipeline, not a performance explains how, and the job search cheat sheet is the one-page version.

2. Aim for the higher track

If you prepare only for aptitude, you compete for the most crowded, lowest-paid offers. Spend most of your time on coding problems and one strong project. Structured practice helps; Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions and Grokking Data Structures & Algorithms for Coding Interviews are both solid if you want a course.

3. Build one project that shows the 2026 profile

One deployed web or backend project with tests, plus one small AI feature you measured honestly. The full stack roadmap works for the project, and how to build a developer portfolio as a beginner covers how to present it.

4. If you have an offer, use the waiting time

If you already have an offer and the joining date keeps moving, do not just refresh your inbox. Keep applying, keep building, and read what to do when your joining date keeps getting delayed and how to stay motivated while onboarding is delayed.

5. Have a two-year plan, not just a first job

Many good engineers start at services companies and move after two or three years. If that is your path, plan the move from day one: pick projects that give you real code to write, keep learning outside work, and read how to switch from a service-based to a product-based company.

A 60-day plan for final-year students and fresh graduates

If you are feeling the weight of all this, you are not alone. How do I stay motivated when I am unemployed after graduation and how to deal with rejection after many applications are both written for this stage.

My honest read

IT services companies are still among the largest employers of freshers in India, and an offer from one is still a good start. But the intake is smaller than the peak years, it moves with demand, and the best offers go to people who can genuinely code and have some AI and cloud basics. Prepare for the higher track, apply on several tracks at once, and never let one pending offer stop your search.

FAQ

How many freshers will TCS hire in 2026?

TCS rolled out 25,000 fresher offers for FY27 (April 2026 to March 2027), down from more than 44,000 freshers hired in FY26, and said it could hire more if demand improves.

Is Infosys hiring freshers in 2026?

Yes. Infosys said in April 2026 that it plans to hire about 20,000 freshers in FY27, similar to the more than 20,000 it hired in FY26.

Why is fresher hiring slow in IT companies?

Cautious client spending and AI taking over routine work such as ticket handling, reporting and test case creation. Companies still hire freshers but want more ready, more skilled candidates.

How can I get a higher package as a fresher at a services company?

Prepare for the coding sections that decide the higher-paying tracks. Strong DSA, one solid project and AI and cloud basics matter far more than aptitude scores alone.

What should I do if my offer letter has no joining date?

Keep applying elsewhere, keep building, and stay in touch with the company's HR politely. An offer without a date is not a job yet.

Learn it on Sefism

• DSA roadmap and the DSA cheat sheet for coding tests
• Your first tech job roadmap and the first job cheat sheet for the transition into work
• Coding with AI tools roadmap for the AI basics companies now expect
• Job search roadmap and no job after BSCS? a 90 day plan if the search is taking longer than you hoped

Ask your own question

If your situation is different from the ones above, browse the career questions library first; someone has probably asked something close. Want a learning roadmap built around you, written answers to your own questions and a place to discuss your FYP? Create your free Sefism account. Members can also book a one to one session when they want to talk it through.

Stay in touch

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• X (Twitter): short practical thoughts on engineering and careers.
• Instagram: quick tips and a more personal side.
• Sefism Discord: compare notes with other freshers going through hiring tests and joining delays.
• Sefism on YouTube: walkthroughs and talks.

Cover photo by Hitesh Choudhary on Unsplash