TCS Headcount Drops by 11,000 in Q3FY26 Amid AI Push, Fresher Hiring Doubles

• TCS reported a net reduction of 11,151 employees in Q3FY26, bringing the total employee base to 582,163.
• Despite the overall headcount decline, TCS doubled its intake of fresh graduates and upskilled over 217,000 employees in advanced AI capabilities.
• Consolidated profit fell 13.8% year-on-year to Rs 10,720 crore, and also declined sequentially.
• Revenue rose 2% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 67,087 crore, with annualized AI services revenue reaching $1.8 billion.
• NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja alleged that TCS is forcing out experienced employees through various tactics, categorizing these as 'voluntary attrition' to avoid legal obligations.

Why It Matters: TCS sees significant headcount reduction and profit decline despite doubling fresher hiring and AI adoption.