Will "Half A Million AI Agents" Reduce TCS Workforce? What Its Chairman Said
TCS had cut around 12,000 jobs in 2025.

๐ฎ๐ณ ์ธ๋ ยท IT/๊ธฐ์ ยท "WORKFORCE" ยท ์ด 10๊ฑด
ํํฐ ๋ณด๊ธฐํ์ฌ ์ง์
48.3
0 = ๋ถ์ ์ฐ์ธ
50 = ์ค๋ฆฝ
100 = ๊ธ์ ์ฐ์ธ
์ต๊ทผ 7์ผ ๊ธฐ์ค 5,837๊ฑด์ ๋ถ์ํ ๊ฒฐ๊ณผ, ๋ด์ค ์ฌ๋ฆฌ์ง์๋ 48.3(๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค. ๊ธ์ 577๊ฑด(9.9%)ยท์ค๋ฆฝ 3,968๊ฑด(68.0%)ยท๋ถ์ 1,292๊ฑด(22.1%)์ด๋ฉฐ, ์ค๋ฆฝ ๋น์ค์ด ๋๋ ทํ๊ฒ ๋์ต๋๋ค. ์ฑํฅ ์ง์๋ ์ข ํฉ 14.1(์ค๋ ๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค.
TCS had cut around 12,000 jobs in 2025.

New Delhi, Corporate India is expected to scale back hiring plans in the July-September quarter of this year, signaling a slowdown in hiring momentum, as employers are likely to opt for a more measured approach to hiring amid rising geopolitical challenges, a survey said on Tuesday.According to ManpowerGroup's latest Employment Outlook Survey, the Net Employment Outlook (NEO) for Q3 2026 stood at 48 per cent, down 20 points from the previous quarter but stronger by 6 points since Q3 2025.The Net Employment Outlook (NEO) is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.In the survey of more than 3,100 employers across India conducted from April 1 to 30, 2026, employers cited economic uncertainty, above AI, as the key driver of hiring uncertainty."India's Q3 2026 hiring outlook remains the strongest globally, with a Net Employment Outlook of 48 per cent, reflecting continued employer confidence in the country's growth trajectory despite an increasingly complex business environment," said Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup India and Middle East.As per the report, 15 per cent of those considering workforce expansion remain optimistic about identifying growth opportunities despite ongoing geopolitical challenges.Among organisations planning to reduce staff, 31 per cent cited economic challenges, while 27 per cent pointed to geopolitical challenges as the primary factor impacting staff decisions. Around 26 per cent of those uncertain about changing staffing cite Geopolitical challenges, and 20 per cent want to keep things stable as a result."While the outlook has moderated from 68 per cent in the previous quarter, the shift reflects a more measured approach to hiring rather than a slowdown in business confidence," Gulati said.According to Gulati, strong activity across manufacturing and services, along with the continued expansion of Global Capability Centres, continues to support hiring demand. At the same time, employers are navigating a broader mix of challenges, including AI-led workforce optimization, softer entry-level hiring demand, global trade uncertainty, and geopolitical developments that are impacting supply chains and business costs.A sector-wise analysis showed that employers across the Utilities & Natural Resources sector reported the highest NEO for Q3 at 61 per cent, followed by finance and insurance at 56 per cent, construction and real estate (55 per cent) and professional, scientific and technical services at 52 per cent."The survey also points to a clear evolution in workforce priorities. Employers are increasingly seeking talent with strong communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills, reflecting the growing need for adaptable and resilient workforces," Gulati said.As businesses continue to navigate changing market conditions, workforce strategies are becoming more focused on capability building, continuous learning, and long-term talent development. Organisations are looking beyond immediate hiring needs and investing in skills that can support productivity, innovation, and sustainable growth, said Gulati.The survey further noted that AI continues to reshape how organizations think about productivity and the workforce, and the Q3 data shows employers aren't ready to hand over the keys to AI entirely.As employers navigate AI integration, people skills command the highest premiums, revealing where human value is increasingly concentrating: communication and collaboration (87 per cent), problem solving (84 per cent), time management (82 per cent)/strong work ethic (82 per cent), the survey said.
Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta's America's Workforce Academy (AWA), a new initiative offering free training and job pathways in skilled trades. This program aims to address the projected need for hundreds of thousands of trade workers to build the infrastructure for the United States' AI ambitions. Meta is partnering with various organizations to deliver this crucial training.
MUMBAI: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has renewed its lease for nearly 15 lakh sq ft of office space in Chennai in a transaction with rental outgo of around Rs 1,420 crore over its total tenure of 10 years, underscoring the countryโs largest IT services companyโs long-term commitment to one of its key delivery hubs.This ranks among the largest office lease renewals and occupier commitments reported anywhere in India. The transaction assumes significance against the backdrop of growing concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence on employment in the technology sector.Several global and Indian IT companies have highlighted productivity gains from AI-led automation in recent quarters, fuelling debates around potential workforce rationalisation and slower hiring.The lease has been signed for space at Chennai One IT SEZ in Thoraipakkam. The agreement commenced on November 1, and covers a chargeable area of 14.66 lakh sq ft, showed documents accessed through Propstack, a realty data analytics platform.TCS will occupy the first to eighth floors across four towers in Block A (Alpha), along with the first, sixth, seventh, eighth and eleventh floors in Block B (Magnum). The leased premises have a carpet area of 11.29 lakh sq ft.The lease has been signed at a starting rental of Rs 70 per sq ft a month, translating into a monthly rental payment of about Rs 10.26 crore. The agreement carries a tenure of 10 years and is backed by a security deposit of Rs 94.64 crore.The lease agreement provides for a 12% escalation in rentals every three years. Based on the contracted rentals and the escalation structure, the total rental commitment over the 10-year tenure is estimated at approximately Rs 1,420 crore.ETโs email query to TCS remained unanswered until the time of going to press.TCSโ decision to retain and renew this nearly 1.5 million sq ft of office space for a decade signals continued confidence in its long-term operational footprint and workforce presence.Chennai continues to remain one of Indiaโs most important technology markets, housing large campuses of domestic and multinational IT companies. The cityโs established talent pool, relatively lower operating costs and robust office infrastructure have helped it maintain its position as a preferred destination for technology occupiers. The renewal comes at a time when India's office market continues to witness strong demand from technology firms, global capability centres (GCCs), financial services companies and engineering firms, driving sustained leasing activity across key markets.While artificial intelligence is reshaping workforce strategies and operational models, large occupiers continue to retain and expand their real estate footprints in major business hubs. Long-term lease renewals and large-format transactions have remained a key feature of the market, reflecting occupiers' preference for securing high-quality office assets in established micro-markets with access to talent, infrastructure and business ecosystems.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella proposes treating AI agents like human employees to manage their integration into the workforce. This strategy involves providing AI with identities, sandboxes, and policies, mirroring human worker guardrails. Nadella emphasizes security, containment, manageability, and observability as crucial for building trust and safely overseeing these digital agents.
Google has recently laid off employees within its Cloud division, impacting its Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant. This move, mirroring broader tech industry trends, sees the company reallocating resources towards artificial intelligence development. Google AI CEO Demis Hassabis, however, believes companies should leverage AI-driven productivity gains to expand, not reduce, their workforce.
GitLab is laying off 14% of its workforce and exiting 22 countries as part of a restructuring to focus on the "agentic era" of software development. CEO Bill Staples stated that savings will be reinvested into AI products, particularly the Duo Agent Platform, to position GitLab as the enterprise platform for AI-driven software creation.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis argues companies cutting engineers due to AI are misguided. He believes increased productivity should fuel more projects, not layoffs. Hassabis sees AI as an opportunity to expand ambitions, not shrink workforces, and is eager to hire talent shed by rivals for new ventures like drug discovery and game design.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff stated the company has "almost not hired engineers" in two years due to AI coding agents, keeping their engineering workforce flat. While AI handles coding and support, human sales roles are critical for growth. Salesforce reported a record quarter, with AI projected to power future projects.
Cloudflare is laying off over 1,100 employees, about 20% of its workforce, to restructure around AI adoption. CEO Matthew Prince explained the cuts target 'measurers' โ roles like middle management and operations โ as AI enhances efficiency. He believes AI will boost productivity for 'builders' and 'sellers', allowing greater investment in growth areas.