Infosys plans to move between 25 and 33 per cent of its workforce into specialist roles as the IT services company reshapes its talent base around artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and digital transformation, according to The Economic Times.
The scale of the proposed transition is significant. Rather than specialist expertise sitting within relatively small pockets of the organisation, as much as one in every three Infosys employees could eventually work in such roles.
Alongside the internal transition, Infosys is looking to build a pool of around 6,000 ‘frontier engineers’ with advanced technical capabilities. The company is expected to recruit this talent from leading institutes in India as well as campuses in the US, putting it in competition with AI companies and research labs for specialised technology talent.
Infosys management discussed the workforce plans during its three-day annual Americas confluence in Washington, DC, where it outlined its technology and business priorities to partners, advisers and analysts.
The strategy points to a changing skills mix inside one of India’s largest technology employers. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in client projects and technology delivery, Infosys expects a larger proportion of its workforce to possess deeper expertise rather than operate primarily in more generalised technology roles.
The transition is expected to involve both existing employees and new hires. While a substantial part of the workforce will need to develop specialist capabilities, the planned recruitment of frontier engineers is intended to bring advanced expertise into areas where the company expects demand to grow.
That could also have implications for the traditional talent pyramid of large IT services companies, which has historically relied on recruiting large numbers of graduates and developing them through relatively standardised career paths. A model requiring a much larger specialist population would place greater emphasis on deeper skills, differentiated career paths and continuous reskilling.
Infosys has not indicated that the plan involves reducing its overall workforce. The proposed shift is instead about changing its composition, with a larger share of employees expected to work in specialised roles as AI alters both the technology clients require and the way IT services are delivered.
