Cognizant to Hire 20,000 Freshers in 2025 to Build AI-Ready Workforce

Cognizant has announced its plan to onboard 20,000 fresh graduates in 2025, as part of a strategic move to reshape its workforce pyramid for AI-driven and managed services delivery.

“The 20,000 freshers will now shape our pyramid because we are now getting a lot of managed services work. So, that will start to accelerate our headcount,”
said Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S in a press briefing after the company’s March quarter earnings.

“Now that organic growth has come back, it’s a good time to re-baseline the pyramid,”
he added, underlining Cognizant’s fresh momentum in client demand.

Cognizant Announces 20,000 Fresher Hires for 2025

AI-First Coding and FlowSource Training

The new recruits will be trained using FlowSource, Cognizant’s proprietary tool that blends human and AI-generated code, enabling an AI-first approach to software development.

“When you’re doing it for the first time and doing it that way, that’s the only way you’ll know how to code,”
Ravi Kumar emphasized, suggesting a shift toward productivity through AI coding assistants from day one.

Specialised Tech Hiring from IITs and NITs

In parallel with fresher recruitment, Cognizant will continue targeted hiring from IITs and NITs, focusing on high-skill roles like power programmers and full-stack developers, in line with industry trends.

Understanding the IT Pyramid Shift

The IT pyramid model, traditionally skewed toward junior-level resources, is being reshaped as automation and AI redefine job roles.

“Will the pyramid be a pyramid, will it become a diamond, or will it become a cylinder? It all depends on how AI progresses,”
Ravi observed, pointing to possible future structures of workforce distribution driven by AI adoption.

Strong Q1CY25 Results Back Hiring Push

The company outperformed Street expectations in Q1CY25, especially in health sciences and financial services, reinforcing the decision to boost hiring.

While other top Indian IT firms have avoided specifying FY26 hiring numbers due to demand uncertainty, Cognizant is taking a confident stance amid changing market conditions.

Exploring New AI-Era Roles Beyond Engineers

As part of what Ravi Kumar called “Vector 3 of agentification,” Cognizant is exploring non-traditional roles that don’t require standard engineering backgrounds.

“These are labour pools we didn’t address in the past,”
he said, citing emerging needs in domain expertise, operations, and specialized AI roles.

Cognizant currently employs around 60,000 individuals who joined directly from college and have been with the company for over a decade, forming the company’s core middle management.

Doubling Down on GCCs and Mega Deals

Global Capability Centres (GCCs) as Growth Engines

Cognizant is aggressively expanding its GCC business, with six deals already closed and over 20 more in the pipeline.

“We have identified Global Capability Centres as one of five focus areas to sustain our growth momentum. We are expanding our large deal momentum to focus on mega deals and capitalise on GCCs,”
Ravi Kumar stated.

Long-Term Value Contracts

Cognizant’s approach includes BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) and perpetual services for AI tooling, especially where traditional engineering outsourcing was previously limited.

One notable GCC example is its Hyderabad centre for Citizens Financial Group, reflecting its strategic bet on sticky, annuity-based service models.

Conclusion: Cognizant Positions Itself for the AI Future

With a bold plan to recruit 20,000 freshers and restructure its delivery approach around AI and managed services, Cognizant is gearing up for a transformation in how tech services are delivered. By training new talent with tools like FlowSource and investing in GCCs and mega deals, the firm is preparing to meet next-generation enterprise needs.

In contrast to peers taking a cautious approach, Cognizant is going all-in on AI-readiness, fresher empowerment, and talent transformation, reaffirming its position as a forward-looking IT leader.