### Infosys Faces Backlash Over Prolonged Onboarding and Uncompensated Training for Engineering Graduates
The Indian technology behemoth Infosys is facing scrutiny for purportedly taking advantage of thousands of engineering graduates by extending job offers while postponing their onboarding for as long as two years. This issue has ignited indignation among the impacted graduates and garnered the attention of labor advocacy organizations and government representatives.
#### The Claims
The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), a group supporting IT workers in India, has accused Infosys of acting in an unprofessional and exploitative manner. A letter dispatched by NITES to Mansukh Mandaviya, India’s Minister of Labor and Employment, states that the company has been extending job offers to engineering graduates since April 2022 but has not onboarded many of them. The letter asserts that more than 2,000 recruits are experiencing these delays.
NITES alleges that Infosys compelled the recruits to engage in an unpaid, virtual “pre-training” program held from July 1, 2024, to July 24, 2024. The graduates were reportedly informed that their onboarding would be completed by August 19 or September 2, yet those dates passed without any further updates from the company. Instead, recruits were told they would need to retake the pre-training exam in an offline format, again without compensation.
#### Continuous Unpaid Training
The situation has caused significant frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty among many graduates. Reports suggest that recruits faced multiple unpaid virtual and in-person training sessions and evaluations. Emails sent to these recruits indicated that failure to attend these sessions, which sometimes lasted as long as six weeks, would result in disqualification from onboarding.
NITES has condemned Infosys for squandering the valuable time of these young graduates, alleging that the company is hindering their potential contributions to India’s economy. The advocacy organization has urged the Indian government to step in and avert further exploitation.
#### Infosys’ Reaction
In defense of the allegations, Infosys CEO Salil Parekh claimed that all graduates who received job offers would eventually join the company, although he did not specify when this would take place or the reasons behind the prolonged delays. “Every offer that we have provided will result in an eventual joining. We have adjusted some timelines, but everyone will come on board, and that commitment remains unchanged,” Parekh communicated in an interview with the Press Trust of India.
However, this reassurance has offered little relief to the concerned graduates and advocacy groups. NITES has insisted that Infosys provide full salary compensation for the duration of the onboarding delays or aid the recruits in securing alternative positions within the organization.
#### Consequences for India’s Economy
NITES has also contended that Infosys’ conduct is detrimental to India’s economic advancement. The IT sector is a vital component of the country’s economy, and delaying the professional journeys of young engineering graduates could lead to long-lasting ramifications. “These young engineering graduates are essential to the future of our nation’s IT landscape, which is crucial to our economic framework. By stalling their careers and exposing them to unpaid labor and recurrent assessments, Infosys is not only misusing their valuable time but also undermining the potential benefits they could bring to India’s development,” stated the letter from NITES.
The situation is further complicated by the wider challenges affecting India’s employment market. Currently, the country is grappling with a job scarcity, especially in the IT domain. A June 2024 analysis of Indian hiring patterns indicated a 9 percent year-over-year drop in IT job opportunities in hardware and networking, alongside a 5 percent decrease in software and software services. Additionally, attrition rates in the IT sector have declined, resulting in fewer job openings, particularly for entry-level positions.
#### The Broader Context
Infosys is not alone in encountering difficulties in onboarding new staff. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn have created logistical hurdles for many companies, causing delays in hiring and onboarding. However, the duration of these delays and the repetition of unpaid training sessions have prompted scrutiny of Infosys’ methodologies.
The organization has also faced criticism for not conducting any campus recruitment in 2023 or 2024, a trend noted throughout the Indian IT sector. With a limited number of job prospects, many graduates may feel compelled to wait for Infosys to complete their onboarding, despite the financial strain and mental health challenges they are encountering.
#### Conclusion
The scandal surrounding Infosys’ delayed onboarding and uncompensated training underscores the difficulties confronting India’s IT sector and the broader economy. While the company has guaranteed that all recruits will eventually join, the absence of transparency and communication has left many graduates in a state of ambiguity. As the situation develops, it remains uncertain whether Infosys will take measures to address the issues faced by the affected graduates and restore its standing in the industry.
