Cognizant to Hire 25,000 Freshers in 2026 to Drive New Talent Strategy
Cognizant announced on Wednesday that it plans to hire between 24,000 and 25,000 fresh graduates in 2026. This move is part of the company’s “bottom of the pyramid” strategy, which focuses on growing its workforce at the entry level.
This hiring goal is a 20% increase compared to 2025, when the IT services giant hired nearly 20,000 graduates.
Shifting Expertise Through AI
During the Q4 2025 earnings call, Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S explained the company’s “broader pyramid” approach. By using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cognizant aims to provide entry-level employees with high-value technical expertise.
The company is also changing how it links revenue to staff numbers. In 2025, revenue grew by 6.4%, while the total workforce grew by only 4%. This resulted in a 5% increase in revenue earned per employee.
“We are hiring more graduates every year,” Kumar said. “The goal is to put expert knowledge at the fingertips of those starting their careers. This creates a broader workforce and helps us grow more efficiently.”
Training and Onboarding
Of the 20,000 graduates hired in 2025, Cognizant reported that 16,000 are already working on client projects. The remaining 4,000 are currently in training.
CFO Jatin Dalal added that the company is eager to scale up this year. “We plan to increase our intake by about 20%, aiming for 24,000 to 25,000 new hires in 2026,” he said.
A New Way to Recruit
Cognizant is moving away from traditional hiring models. The company now uses a graded system to find specific talent, including:
- Tech Wizards: A premium group recruited from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
- Power Programmers: Specialized coding experts.
- Software Engineers: General software development roles.
Kumar emphasized that the company now values “learnability” over years of experience. He noted that fresh graduates often adapt faster to new technology because they don’t have to “unlearn” old software methods. This leads to higher productivity in a fast-changing market.
AI and the Future of Jobs
Addressing fears that AI might replace workers, Kumar stated that while technology changes “jobs of the past,” it creates even more opportunities for the future. He believes AI will help modernize old software systems and help businesses run more efficiently.
Financial Performance
Cognizant also shared its financial results for the quarter ending December 2025:
- Net Income: Increased by 18.7% to $648 million.
- Revenue: Reached $5,333 million, a 4.9% increase year-on-year.
- Total Employees: As of December 31, 2025, the company employed 351,600 people—an increase of nearly 15,000 over the past year.
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