TCS hotshots may get to do multiple jobs

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) is exploring gig-like hiring arrangements for hard-to-retain specialists in certain roles, signalling a shift as India's $283 billion offshoring sector grapples with a talent crunch amid uncertainty caused by artificial intelligence (AI).

- Jas Bardia & Devina Sengupta

India's largest information technology (IT) services company will consider allowing data architects and data scientists to log in for a few hours with the option to work elsewhere, according to a senior executive at the company, who didn't want to be identified as the information is not yet public.

"For instance, data architects do not need to work for 8 hours; their work often gets done in four hours, and then why should they not be allowed to work somewhere else? We will look at these sorts of gig options for skilled employees, and that will be the future of the workplace," the executive said.

The contours of this plan are still being finalised, and the company will have to factor in data privacy and client confidentiality concerns, the executive said.

India's software services providers mostly hire full-time employees. TCS's plan marks a shift for the IT sector, as companies struggle to retain AI-related specialists. And it comes when the company faces margin pressure, and the offshoring giant has lined up massive investments in data centres.