India’s technology talent market may be showing early signs of cheer, especially for fresh engineering graduates with specialised skills. Software services major Infosys has reportedly raised entry-level salaries for select technology roles, offering compensation packages that go as high as Rs 21 lakh per annum, among the highest starting pay levels currently on offer in the Indian IT services sector.
The move comes as Infosys sharpens its focus on building AI-first capabilities and steps up efforts to attract digitally native talent at the start of their careers. At a time when fresher pay has long been a sore point for engineering graduates, the announcement marks a notable shift in how top IT firms are valuing specialised skills.
What Infosys Is Offering Fresh Graduates
According to social media posts and recruitment banners reviewed and verified by Moneycontrol, Infosys is set to roll out an off-campus hiring drive for 2025 engineering and computer science graduates. The drive targets specialised technology roles, with annual compensation packages ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 21 lakh.
The roles span the Specialist Programmer and Digital Specialist Engineer tracks and are open to graduates from BE, BTech, ME, MTech, MCA and integrated MSc programmes. Eligible candidates include those from computer science, information technology and select circuit branches such as electronics and communication engineering (ECE) and electrical and electronics engineering (EEE).
The compensation structure for these roles is tiered:
- Specialist Programmer L3 (Trainee): Rs 21 lakh per annum
- Specialist Programmer L2 (Trainee): Rs 16 lakh per annum
- Specialist Programmer L1 (Trainee): Rs 11 lakh per annum
- Digital Specialist Engineer (Trainee): Rs 7 lakh per annum
These packages place Infosys at the top end of entry-level compensation among Indian IT services firms, particularly for specialised technology roles.
Why Infosys Is Paying More
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Infosys Group Chief Human Resources Officer Shaji Mathew said the company is pursuing an AI-first strategy across its service offerings, a shift that requires both upskilling existing employees and bringing in fresh talent with deep digital 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,” Mathew told Moneycontrol in response to queries.
The focus on specialised hiring reflects a broader industry push to secure talent that can work on advanced digital, cloud and artificial intelligence projects, as global clients increase spending in these areas.
How Fresher Pay Compares Across IT Majors
Entry-level salaries at India’s top IT companies have remained largely stagnant for years, even as executive compensation climbed sharply. An analysis by the media organisation showed that while median annual pay for IT CEOs jumped 835 per cent from Rs 3.37 crore in FY12 to Rs 31.5 crore in FY22, median fresher salaries rose just 45 per cent, from Rs 2.45 lakh to Rs 3.55 lakh, over the same period.
That gap has begun to narrow, at least for graduates with in-demand skills. Infosys’ larger rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) runs Digital and Prime elite hiring tracks for freshers, offering compensation of Rs 7 lakh per annum and Rs 11 lakh per annum, respectively.
India’s third-largest IT services firm, HCLTech, has also adjusted its fresher hiring strategy, promising up to four times higher pay for a select ‘elite cadre’ of recruits. The shift highlights the premium being placed on specialised talent amid the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence across industries.
Wipro, meanwhile, offers specialised programmes such as Turbo and WILP, where top-performing freshers with strong coding skills can earn salaries of up to Rs 6.5 lakh per annum.
