AI automation squeezes entry-level tech jobs for India's new graduates
Fresh engineering graduates in India are finding it harder to secure junior tech positions as banks and global capability centres automate routine tasks with AI.
Recent engineering graduates, exemplified by 22-year-old Purva Jagtap, are confronting a tight job market as AI tools take over many of the tasks that once provided a foothold for junior tech workers. Global capability centres operated by banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs are automating loan document checks, account reconciliation, simple coding and invoicing, which traditionally employed fresh graduates.
India's IT services industry, employing roughly 6 million people, reports a slowdown in hiring and a pivot toward roles requiring AI, machine-learning, cloud and cybersecurity skills. Major firms like Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services have already reduced staff, with Infosys ending trainee contracts and TCS cutting thousands of positions worldwide, most in India. While GCCs continue to expand, they are increasingly hiring experienced staff capable of leveraging AI rather than new entrants, and are emphasizing reskilling and niche hiring to meet evolving demands.
Why it matters
The shift threatens job prospects for millions of Indian graduates and signals broader changes in the global tech labor market.
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