Despite 5,000 hires in Q4, net additions at Infy just 1,772

Software services provider Infosys Technologies today said it has hired close to 5,000 employees in the first three months of this year, but net additions were just 1,772 to its headcount after taking into account attrition and other factors.

The total headcount of Infosys and its subsidiaries stood at 1,04,850 employees as on March 31, 2009, the company said in a statement.

"During the quarter, Infosys and its subsidiaries added 4,935 employees (gross). The net addition during the quarter was 1,772," it stated.

In the entire financial year ended March 31, 2009, the company took on board 28,231employees, but the net additions for the year were just 13,663.

"The year ahead would be challenging on the people front. Our continuous investment in capability development, training and certification would make us more competitive. We have tightened our performance management system to create a more focused workforce," Infosys Head-HRD and Education & Research TV Mohandas Pai said.

Overall, the company's headcount at the end of FY 08-09 stood at 1,04,850, 42 per cent higher than 73,490 employees in FY 2007-08.

The company's employee strength has been steadily increasing from the past five financial years. The employee strength was 23,377 in FY'04, 32,178 in FY'05, 44,658 in FY'06 and 59,831 in FY'07.

"We continue to invest in our employees through training and building their skills across various technologies and domains," the statement added.

Infosys today announced a 29.1 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,613 crore and a 24 per cent growth in income to Rs 5,635 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 as compared to the year-ago period.