Bench staff now in tech firms' focus

India's top IT service companies such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL are strategically streamlining their bench strength to stabilize resource utilization rates. Over the next two quarters, the firms will be focussing heavily on the bench with projects barely trickling in, and external hiring putting pressure on finances.

- Devina Sengupta & Manjul Paul

The firms are also intensifying their investments in training the bench to minimize the need for lateral hiring.

"Teams having global capability centres and banking and financial services clients who are based in the US are maintaining their bench strength. There is demand for hiring for the reserves, but if clients are based out of Europe, and Australia then vacancies in bench are not getting filled," Sunil Chemmankotil, chief executive of staffing firm TeamLease Digital, said.

According to Chemmankotil's estimates,10-12% staff of an IT firm is on reserve.