Cognizant’s TN delivery centre headcount has declined from around 81,000 to about 71,000, as hiring momentum shifts to cities such as Indore, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, where stronger digital and BPO penetration is driving growth.The reduction of 10,000 employees at its India headquarters marks a significant drop in overall headcount. Within Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore remains a key secondary hub with about 16,000 employees. For over three decades, Cognizant’s Chennai base has been central to job creation in the state’s IT sector.The moderation in headcount could draw attention ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where employment generation and the state’s competitiveness in attracting large technology investments are expected to be key issues. An email sent to Cognizant didn’t elicit a response till press time.India continues to account for about 90% of Cognizant’s total delivery centre space. Within the country, Chennai remains its largest hub with around 7 million sft, followed by Hyderabad (3 million sft), Pune (2 million sft), Kolkata (2 million sft) and Bengaluru (2 million sft). However, Chennai’s footprint has declined from 8 million sft to 7 million sft over the past year.Last year, Cognizant sold a 13.6-acre property in Thoraipakkam for Rs 612 crore, a site that had served as a key base for over two decades.The company is also expanding elsewhere, with plans to set up a new campus on a 22-acre site at Kapuluppada IT Hills in Visakhapatnam. The project, backed by the Andhra Pradesh government, will see an investment of Rs 1,583 crore and is expected to generate more than 8,000 jobs over three phases.Cognizant’s total headcount rose by 1,800 in the December quarter to 351,600 employees, while attrition eased to 13.9% from 14.5% in the previous quarter. The company added 14,000 employees in 2025, including about 20,000 school graduates, and plans to increase hiring by around 20% to 24,000–25,000 recruits in 2026, reflecting continued focus on entry-level talent.
