• Operating margin drivers: Currency tailwinds provided 110 basis points and productivity added 40 basis points, which were offset by SG&A investments (50 bps), tactical interventions and labor code impacts (40 bps), higher subcontractor costs (40 bps), and M&A (10 bps).
• Wage hike impact: Annual increments effective April 1 will range from mid-single digits for most employees to double digits for top performers, which is expected to compress Q1 margins by 150 to 200 basis points.
• Headcount restructuring: The company concluded its AI-first restructuring exercise, resulting in approximately 8,000 to 9,000 employees being let go where redeployment was not possible.
• Campus hiring outlook: After recruiting nearly 44,000 fresh graduates last year, the company has already rolled out 25,000 campus offers and embedded AI training directly into its Initial Learning Program curriculum.