NTT DATA to hire 6,000 people in India by year-end to fuel growth plans

India is NTT DATA's second largest employee hub outside of Japan and also the fastest-growing market

NTT DATA, the $30 billion IT services arm of the Japanese telecommunications major NTT Group, aims to hire about 6,000 people in India by the end of this year -- an increase of 10-15 per cent to its existing talent base of about 40,000 people -- to fuel its growth plans. Globally, the company has a headcount of about 190,000.  

India is NTT DATA’s second largest employee hub outside Japan and also the fastest-growing market. Last year, the company said it will invest about $3 billion in India over the next five years to tap into the rising data centre business. 

“At NTT DATA, we hire across skills, all the services, cutting across industries and technologies. The current demand is focused on generative artificial intelligence, security, and privacy. Automation, data and analytics, or data integration is another area we are looking at. DevOps, UI/UX, and software development are other skills we hire,” said Gajendra Menon, senior director of HR, Global Talent Acquisition at NTT DATA.

NTT DATA also plans to add 15,000 cyber security professionals globally by the end of the financial year 2027 (FY27). Last year, it launched a new globally unified cyber security strategy to provide support for clients. “Our new cyber security strategy brings our worldwide resources, deep industry insights, and advanced technical skills together to provide our clients with comprehensive protection against today's sophisticated threats,” Menon said.

The company is also looking to tap into the talent pool in Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India. “We are taking our brand to 200 different colleges in Tier-II and Tier-III cities to bridge the industry-academia gap and prepare young talent for the industry,” Menon said.

Apart from cost, Menon said there are several factors driving their strategy to hire from non-metro cities. “We have a strategy of recruiting the ideal candidates for our roles and that is location agnostic. For us, the quality of talent and skills always take priority over the candidate’s location, and the same applies to how we consider talent coming from Tier-I, Tier-II, and Tier-III cities in India. Our hybrid work model allows us that flexibility.”  

NTT’s hiring strategy is a mix of new recruits and laterals for niche skills. It also has a Career 2.0 programme, which focuses on hiring professionals who have a career break of two or more years. “This is a programme designed to help professionals return to work in technologies they can adapt to with flexible work schedules,” Menon said.