Indian outsourcers cash in as big firms cut costs

MUMBAI: India's top three outsourcing companies are ramping up hiring and increasing pay as global corporations, mainly from the US, send more work offshore to cut costs as they emerge from the downturn.

Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Wipro expanded their global workforces by an average of 5.1 percent last quarter, together adding 16,701 employees, company documents show - an early sign that the Great Recession may ultimately benefit India as cost-conscious companies outsource more work, just as they did after the dot-com bust.

"Our expectations are for flat to marginally stronger IT budgets with a greater share of offshore spend," Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said. "Our customers remain focused on cost reduction."