Changing skill demands: Era of big bench strength at IT firms may be over

Indian information technology (IT) services players may not need to keep a big bench strength going forward, as they adapt to rapidly evolving skill demands, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). While firms continue to keep bench sizes lean amid muted demand, industry leaders say even a future uptick may not justify a return to the old model. 

Companies such as Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, and Tech Mahindra have maintained their IT utilisation rates at around 85 per cent over the past couple of years, a contrast to a decade ago when the figure hovered around the mid-70s. Utilisation is billable employees