AI Isn’t Taking Jobs: Cognizant to Hire 25,000 Young Graduates in 2026
Cognizant is planning to increase its workforce this year. The IT services company said that as part of its workforce expansion strategy, it aims to recruit approximately 24,000-25,000 new young engineers in 2026. This is an increase of about 20 percent compared to 2025, when the company hired approximately 20,000 graduates. Let’s learn more about this.
During Cognizant’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings announcement, CEO Ravi Kumar S. said that the company is focusing on a “large pyramid” strategy, under which the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is bringing high-value tech expertise to entry-level employees, rather than eliminating their jobs. While there are fears that artificial intelligence will lead to job losses in the IT sector, Cognizant is moving in a different direction, and the company says that AI is proving helpful to employees in their projects.
Company to Hire 25,000 Young Engineers
Cognizant plans to hire approximately 24,000 to 25,000 new graduates in 2026. This move comes at a time when many IT companies are being cautious about hiring new employees, especially at the entry level. The company hired approximately 20,000 new graduates in 2025. Most of them are working with clients, and some are still undergoing training.
The company announced its hiring plans after declaring its recent quarterly results. Chief Financial Officer Jatin Dalal said that the company expects approximately 20 percent growth in new graduate hiring in 2026. He said, “We hired approximately 20,000 graduates in 2025. Our plan is to increase this by about 20% next year.” Therefore, we would be very happy to hire approximately 24,000 to 25,000 graduates by 2026. The company believes that with the help of AI tools, automation, and agent-based software, instead of cutting entry-level positions, it has become easier to break down work into smaller tasks and assign them to junior teams. This allows new employees to contribute more quickly compared to the older delivery models.
