Cognizant clarifies on entry-level salaries for freshers after criticism

NEW DELHI: After facing backlash on the social media platforms for offering low salaries for freshers, IT company Cognizant on Sunday clarified that this is not the case.

The backlash erupted over the company allegedly offering Rs 2.52 lakh per annum for freshers. According to the company, this salary range applies only to “candidates with a three-year undergraduate degree in non-engineering disciplines, not to engineering graduates”.

According to Surya Gummadi, EVP and President, Cognizant Americas, their recent job posting for talent from non-engineering backgrounds, with a three-year undergraduate degree, has been grossly misrepresented.

“This job posting, with compensation of Rs 2.52 lakhs annually, was only for candidates with a 3-year undergraduate degree and not for engineering graduates,” he said in a statement.

Gummadi informed that the IT major offers engineering graduates a starting salary ranging from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 12 lakh per annum, depending on skill set, category of hiring and industry-accredited certifications.

The compensation we offer for engineering graduates is highly competitive within the IT services peer group,” said the company.

The company invests approximately Rs 2 to 3 lakh per associate in the initial years to train, mentor, and upskill in advanced technologies. This is for both engineering and non-engineering associates.

Cognizant was also criticised over salary increments as low as 1 per cent. The company further clarified that the 1 per cent hike represents the lower end of the 1-5 per cent range, with the increments tied to individual performance and industry dynamics.

"This year, we are one of the few IT companies in India that have delivered increments and bonuses for employees," said the company.

In the current fiscal, top tech companies in India are looking to hire close to 90,000 freshers. While IT services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) plans to hire nearly 40,000 freshers in FY25, Infosys aims to recruit around 15,000-20,000 freshers this fiscal.

HCLTech plans to hire more than 10,000 freshers from campuses in FY25. Tech Mahindra had said earlier that it plans to hire 6,000 freshers in the ongoing financial year.