Advanced skill set will determine raise in salary: Wipro

Wipro’s CHRO has emphasised the importance of upskilling and reskilling for employees, particularly in the fields of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI), as a prerequisite for salary hikes in the future.

In an interview with the Times of India, Saurabh Govil,CHR0, Wipro, stated that amidst the economic slowdown and reduced hiring, IT professionals should prioritise enhancing their skills. Govil further highlighted that specialised skills such as generative AI and cybersecurity would be rewarded with higher compensation.

This year, Wipro approached freshers with a request for a lower starting salary. Candidates who had received an offer of Rs 6.5 LPA were asked if they would be willing to join with a salary of Rs 3.5 LPA. According to Wipro, more than 90 per cent of the freshers accepted the lower salary option in order to expedite their onboarding process.

Notably, Wipro terminated around 452 fresher employees in January due to poor performance, following an internal evaluation test. Additionally, approximately 300 employees were let go last year for working with rival companies while still being on Wipro’s payroll.

Wipro, one of India’s leading IT software companies, recorded a net profit of Rs 3,074.5 crore for the most recent quarter, slightly lower than the previous year. However, the revenue for the March 2023 quarter showed an 11.17 per cent year-on-year increase, amounting to Rs 23,190.3 crore.