LTIMindtree

India’s leading IT services firms reported a sharp one-time earnings impact in the December quarter as the implementation of the new labour codes forced changes in employee benefit provisioning. Collectively, the country’s top six IT companies—TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and LTIMindtree—absorbed a cumulative hit of around ₹5,400 crore, significantly weighing on their Q3 FY26 profit numbers. The new labour framework, which consolidates 29 existing laws, has altered the way companies account for benefits such as gratuity and leave encashment, resulting in substantial upfront provisions. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT exporter, faced the biggest impact. The company reported a statutory charge of ₹2,128 crore, leading to a 13.9% fall in net profit to ₹10,657 crore. CFO Samir Seksaria explained that the provision included roughly ₹1,800 crore towards gratuity and ₹300 crore for leave encashment. He also cautioned that the new codes are expected to reduce margins by 10–15 basis points on an ongoing basis. Infosys reported an exceptional one-time charge of ₹1,289 crore, which pushed its net profit down 2.2% year-on-year to ₹6,654 crore. CEO Salil Parekh said the labour codes would have a continuing annual margin impact of about 15 basis points. HCLTech recorded a one-off provision of ₹956 crore, dragging net profit down 11.2% to ₹4,076 crore. The company noted that, excluding this impact, profits would have registered growth. Wipro’s net profit declined 7% to ₹3,119 crore, affected by a ₹302.8 crore labour code-related charge along with restructuring costs. Tech Mahindra was the only major IT player to post profit growth during the quarter, with net profit rising 14% to ₹1,122 crore on improved margins. However, it too set aside around $30 million (approximately ₹272 crore) for compliance with the new wage codes. CFO Rohit Anand warned of a quarterly margin impact of about 20 basis points. LTIMindtree accounted for a one-time cost of ₹590 crore in Q3 due to the labour code implementation, adding to the sector-wide earnings pressure. Despite the near-term impact on profitability, IT leaders struck an optimistic note on business fundamentals, citing strong deal pipelines and accelerating demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Infosys posted an 8.9% rise in revenue to ₹45,479 crore in Q3 FY26 and raised its full-year revenue growth guidance to 3–3.5% in constant currency terms. The company reported large deal wins worth $4.8 billion during the quarter, with over half coming from new clients. Parekh highlighted strong momentum in AI adoption across customers, particularly in financial services, energy and utilities. Wipro’s revenue grew 5.5% year-on-year to ₹23,555.8 crore, supported by vendor consolidation and AI-led modernisation deals. CEO and MD Srini Pallia said enterprises globally are increasingly treating AI as a board-level priority, positioning the company well for future growth. Tech Mahindra secured new deals worth $1.096 billion in Q3, with CEO Mohit Joshi describing the demand environment as strong across regions and industry verticals. TCS reported a 4.86% increase in revenue to ₹67,087 crore. CEO K Krithivasan said AI and data-led services were key growth drivers, while COO Aarthi Subramanian noted that AI revenues rose 17% quarter-on-quarter to an annualised run rate of $1.8 billion. HCLTech posted a 13.3% rise in revenue to ₹33,872 crore, driven by a sharp sequential increase in advanced AI revenues and solid growth in engineering and R&D services. The company recorded $3 billion in net new bookings, up 43.5% year-on-year. CEO C Vijayakumar emphasised the firm’s focus on AI-powered offerings such as robotics, AI factories, custom silicon and large-scale digital transformation programmes. Hiring trends during the quarter were mixed. TCS reported a net reduction of over 11,000 employees, while Infosys and Wipro added 5,043 and 6,529 staff respectively. HCLTech indicated a strategic shift towards hiring “elite engineers,” offering significantly higher compensation to attract top AI talent. Source: PTI