India’s IT giants, Wipro, Infosys, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), have all reported a significant decrease in their female workforce for the financial year 2023-24 (FY24). This trend coincides with a broader workforce reduction across all three companies.
Shrinking workforces and fewer women
Wipro’s female employee base saw the sharpest decline, dropping by 22,490 to 68,231. The company’s overall workforce also shrank by 24,516, resulting in a total headcount of 234,054 as of March 31st. Similar patterns emerged at Infosys and TCS. Infosys reported a reduction of 10,786 female employees, bringing the total down to 124,569. TCS’s female workforce decreased by approximately 6,000, leaving them with 214,000 female employees. These declines mirror the overall workforce reductions at Infosys (25,994 employees) and TCS (13,249 employees) compared to the previous year.
Analysts attribute this decrease in female employees to several factors. The Financial Express cites the fading impact of pandemic-driven hiring surges and a potential shift away from remote work arrangements as possible explanations.
Workplace culture concerns
Beyond the workforce numbers, concerns regarding workplace culture have also surfaced. Notably, Wipro saw a troubling rise in reported sexual harassment complaints, with the number more than doubling from 70 in FY23 to 182 in FY24. The number of complaints disclosed under the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) guidelines also saw a decrease, dropping from 141 to 93.
Similar trends were observed at Infosys and TCS, with reported sexual harassment cases increasing significantly. Infosys recorded 98 cases in FY24, up from 78, while TCS saw a rise to 110 cases from 49 during the same period.
TCS Chairman N Chandrasekaran, during the company’s 29th annual general meeting, offered a possible explanation for the rise in reported harassment cases. He suggested it could be partly attributed to increased awareness and a culture of openness being fostered within their vast workforce of over 600,000 employees.
