India-based Infosys to hire 10,000 US workers
SAN FRANCISCO/MUMBAI: India-based IT services firm Infosys said it plans to hire 10,000 US workers in the next two years and open four technology centres in the US, starting with one in August in Indiana.
The move comes at a time when Infosys and some of its Indian peers, such as Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro, become political targets in the US for allegedly displacing US workers' jobs by flying in foreigners on temporary visas to service their clients in the country.
The IT service firms rely heavily on the H1-B visa program, which US President Donald Trump has ordered a review of.
Infosys chief executive Vishal Sikka said his company plans to hire US workers in fields such as artificial intelligence.
"When you think about it from a US point of view, obviously creating more American jobs and opportunities is a good thing," Mr Sikka said.
While Indian outsourcing firms have recruited in the US, Infosys is the first to come out with concrete hiring numbers and provide a timeline, in the wake of Mr Trump's visa review.
Last month, two industry sources told Reuters that Infosys was applying for just under 1,000 H-1B visas this year.
One of the sources said that was down from about 6,500 applications last year and some 9,000 in 2015.
Indian IT service firms, which typically flood the lottery system each year with thousands of applications, have been among the largest H1-B recipients annually. - REUTERS
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