Software major Infosys has raised entry-level salaries for freshers, with compensation packages of up to Rs 21 lakh per annum for specialised technology roles, as it ramps up hiring to strengthen AI‑first capabilities and attract digitally native talent.
This makes it the highest entry-level pay among Indian IT firms, even when compared with specialised roles at peers.How much is Infosys paying freshers?
According to social media posts and banners reviewed and verified by Moneycontrol, Infosys is set to launch an off-campus hiring drive for 2025 engineering and computer science graduates to recruit talent for specialised technology roles, with annual compensation ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 21 lakh.
The roles on offer include Specialist Programmer (L1 to L3) and Digital Specialist Engineer (trainee), and are open to BE, BTech, ME, MTech, MCA and integrated MSc graduates from computer science, IT and select circuit branches such as ECE and EEE.
The roles include Specialist Programmer L3 (Trainee): Rs 21 LPA, Specialist Programmer L2 (Trainee): Rs 16 LPA, Specialist Programmer L1 (Trainee): Rs 11 LPA, Digital Specialist Engineer (Trainee): Rs 7 LPA
Infosys group CHRO Shaji Mathew told Moneycontrol that the company is driving an AI‑First approach across its services, which requires upskilling existing employees and bringing in digitally native talent with deep expertise.
“Our early‑career hiring combines campus and off‑campus drives, and we have expanded opportunities in the Specialist Programmer track, with packages up to Rs 21 lakh per annum,” he said in response to queries.What are fresher salaries at Indian IT firms?
Low entry-level salaries have long been a pain point for engineering graduates, with pay at India’s top IT firms largely stagnant for over a decade. While median annual compensation for IT CEOs soared 835% from Rs 3.37 crore in FY12 to Rs 31.5 crore in FY22, the median fresher salary grew just 45%, from Rs 2.45 lakh to Rs 3.55 lakh, a Moneycontrol analysis shows.
However, that trend has been changing for graduates who come with specialised skills. Infosys’ larger rival TCS has a Digital and Prime elite hiring tracks for freshers, with compensation of Rs 7 LPA and Rs 11 LPA, respectively.
India’s third-largest IT services major HCLTech has tweaked its fresher hiring strategy, promising a 4X higher pay package for an “elite cadre” of freshers, reflecting the need for IT companies amid a boom in artificial intelligence (AI).
Wipro has specialised programs like Turbo/WILP, where fresher salaries can touch Rs 6.5 LPA for top performers in coding.How many freshers is Infosys hiring this year?
IT services major Infosys has hired 12,000 freshers for the first half of the fiscal year 2026, and is on track to reach its 20,000 fresher hiring target for the year, Infosys CFO Jayesh Sanghrajka said at the company’s second quarter earnings conference on October 16.
Infosys also announced its fifth consecutive quarter of net headcount addition as it added 8,203 employees in Q2. For H1FY26, net addition stood at 8,413, taking the overall headcount to 331,991.