News digest: Hiring back on track, merger of banks, Infosys case, and more

1. Corporate salary bill hints at hiring uptick after a lull of nearly 3 years 

After a lull of nearly three years, corporate India seems to be back on a hiring spree. The combined salary and wages bill for listed companies was up 12.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) during the April-June quarter, growing at the fastest pace in nearly four years. In comparison, the salary bill was up 8.7 per cent last financial year, and 10 per cent in 2016-17.

The buoyancy in salary and wages is, however, muted compared to other cost heads and overall growth in these companies’ top line.