HCLTech has quietly raised the bar for new salaries in 2026, especially for candidates with strong skills in artificial intelligence and related technologies. At a time when hiring volumes in the IT sector remain cautious, companies are choosing to spend more on fewer, highly specialized engineers. The move places HCLTech among a small group of Indian IT companies willing to offer premium salaries at the entry level to secure talent in line with their long-term technology plans. Here’s everything you need to know.

HCLTech: Elite freshers will earn up to Rs 22 lakh annually

HCLTech has offered significantly higher salary packages to a select group of freshers, called internally its “elite cadre”. These engineers are expected to work in advanced areas like AI, data engineering, digital engineering, cyber security and enterprise technology skills. According to details shared by the company, the salary for this group can range from Rs 18 lakh to Rs 22 lakh per annum, which is much higher than the standard fresher package in the IT industry.

Explaining the thinking behind the decision, HCLTech Chief People Officer Ram Sundararajan said during the company’s December quarter earnings call, “Two quarters ago, we talked very actively about specialized engineers. We had shared that our entry-level salary to the specialized cardholder will be 3X – 4X the salary of regular hires. That 3X- 4X is between Rs 18 lakh to Rs 22 lakh.” He said the company needs to remain competitive if it wants to attract top quality talent for these specific roles.

Infosys also introduces new salary hikes for specific roles

HCLTech is not alone in revising the new salary. Infosys has also increased salaries for some entry-level roles as part of its push towards advanced digital and AI-centric services. The company is preparing to launch an off-campus hiring drive for 2025 graduates, offering packages ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 21 lakh per annum.

Roles include specialist programmer and digital specialist engineer positions, which are open to graduates from computer science, IT and selected circuits branches. Infosys Group CHRO Shaji Mathew told the cited source that the company is now adopting an AI-first approach, which requires training current employees and hiring young talent with strong digital foundations. “Our early career placements have a combination of campus and off-campus drives and we have expanded opportunities in the Specialist Programmer track with packages up to Rs 21 lakh per annum,” he said.

TCS takes a different path on employee appraisal

While HCLTech and Infosys are using high salaries to attract new talent, TCS is in the news for a different reason. The company has stopped the final anniversary appraisal of some employees due to non-compliance of its work from home policy. TCS expects employees to be in the office five days a week and has linked appraisals and variable pay to attendance. According to a report, employees who failed to meet office attendance requirements in previous quarters may be completely excluded from the FY26 performance cycle.