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<ul><li><keyword id="10071444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samir-Seksaria">Samir Seksaria</keyword> will be coming in as <keyword id="6357585" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-consultancy-services">Tata Consultancy Services</keyword>' (TCS) new chief financial officer on May 1.</li><li>He has been will the company for over two decades.</li><li>Seksaria joined TCS within two years of finishing his graduation in 1997.</li></ul>India’s biggest information technology (IT) company in India will have a new chief financial officer starting May 1 — and he’s been with the company for over two decades. Samir Seksaria, who was leading Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) business finance vertical, will now officially be responsible for all of the company’s financial affairs. Seksaria’s journey with TCS began in 1999. This was two years after he graduated from Narsee Monjee College in Mumbai and completed his certification to become a charted accountant (CA). He spent his early years with the software exporter on consulting assignments. This included anything from regulatory compliance to merger and acquisition spin-offs. What many may not know is the fact that he also had a key role to play when TCS initially went public back in 2004. Since then, he’s been involved in various financial transformation journeys such as simplification, better cash management, and other financial aspects. Seksaria will be reporting directly to the TCS’ chief executive (CEO), Rajesh Gopinathan, as he takes over the reins from Ramakrishnan V, who will be retiring today, on April 30.

TCS’ new chief financial officer has been with the company for over two decades — including when it launched its IPO

<ul><li>A strong CEO-CFO partnership can determine the success or failure in digital transformation – especially in uncertain times like a pandemic.</li><li>With the right approaches, CFOs can help CEOs drive growth, manage risks, and boost organisational performance – starting with transforming the finance function.</li><li>Building a digital finance function will streamline financial reporting and accelerate and deepen a company’s ability to pinpoint both opportunities and threats.</li></ul>The Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) have been heavily involved in their companies’ digital transformations. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, global spending on digitising business practices, products and services is expected to grow by more than 10% to reach $1.3 trillion in 2020. Now CFOs must work closely with chief executives to steer their enterprises through the worst economic crisis in a generation. This CEO-CFO partnership — whether it is effective or not — will determine whether enterprises can withstand the financial impact of this crisis and move their organisations forward. Recent TCS research sheds new light on the unprecedented pressure that the pandemic has unleashed on organisations and particularly on their finance functions. A global survey of 287 companies, in July, with more than $1 billion in revenue found that 68% of them saw revenues decline. Moreover: <ul><li>Fewer than one-third of companies surveyed had implemented essential digital capabilities that enable them to pivot quickly in response to the crisis.</li><li> Only 23% have strong automation of core business processes</li></ul>For finance organisations with a mission to mitigate risks, shore up liquidity, understand how performance is changing and know precisely where the company and its customers stand. Lacking such capabilities is a wakeup call. Not having a sufficiently digital finance function means lacking accurate real-time data, and therefore navigating the crisis without a reliable compass. These organisations are now racing to catch up. Most are maintaining or accelerating their digital investments despite revenue pressures and the need to operate remotely. Companies have realised that such investment is critical to resilience and competitiveness during the pandemic and beyond. The investment also enables the CFO to better manage the organisation’s finances and support the CEO. The CFO’s unique role during a crisis A successful CFO generally sees herself as a strategic partner to the CEO. But during uncertain times, the CFO’s role typically changes. Risks and responsibilities rise. In some cases, crises also pose strategic opportunities. Some key matters that the CFO needs to address during a crisis include: <ul><li>External business risks: During uncertain times, litigation is likely to rise. Contracts that protect commercial and legal interests help the organisation stay focused and avoid unnecessary distractions. At the same time, having measures in place that help the company access what is rightfully due — such as contract clause monitoring, and early warning indicators — can assist with revenue growth and profitability.</li><li>Talent: As crisis-related anxiety levels soar, small steps can reinforce employee morale, loyalty and engagement. The CFO should ensure that payroll is processed on time, particularly if employees are concerned about the company’s stability. Additionally, the CFO should support empathetic policies for workers affected by the crisis. Especially in a services company or any organisation with a sizeable resource pool, it is beneficial in the short term to carry, as necessary, excess staffing capacity that will get absorbed once growth returns. This can help morale while boosting productivity when it is most needed. And the organisation can manage other costs to pay for the investment.</li><li>Driving growth: Uncertain times also present an opportunity to take a fresh look at the business and consider deploying different processes or frameworks. The finance function can help plan for such initiatives, building scenario analyses of how proposed changes will impact efficiency or optimisation. The function is also a key player in executing finalised plans.</li></ul>The CFO should also look at market penetration to assess opportunities for expanding the organisation’s horizons. Embarking on such projects demands not only investment capabilities but also the long-term conviction needed to make big moves despite economic turmoil. A wise decision during a crisis often delivers the best returns. A final consideration on growth involves the volatile currency and financial markets. It is critical for the treasury team to manage the enterprise’s currency and interest-rate exposures and continually take appropriate measures. This will help the CEO and business teams focus on business response, recovery and revival. <ul><li>Accurate forecasting: Always important, and it becomes even more consequential in times of uncertainty and disruption, when forecasts are more difficult. Of course, maintaining transparency and avoiding surprises is also important for investors and market participants.</li><li>Mergers and Acquisitions: There is usually a distinct ramp-up in M&amp;A activities during a crisis. The pandemic could present opportunities at attractive valuations. Companies often look to divest their non-core activities, which could constitute core businesses for another company. Having deployable funds and a long-term vision assists in such decisions. The CFO can play an important role by keeping the organisation in a state of readiness.</li></ul>Establishing the CFO as a strategic partner to the CEO TCS has observed that companies with highly digital finance functions have performed better over time, and particularly during the crisis. A CFO can be an effective partner to the CEO by seizing the opportunity to deploy digital capabilities that can improve efficiency and inform the executive team’s strategic decisions. In brief, a highly digital finance function helps a company and its CEO in several key ways. It is able to close the books and report financial results publicly on time and without extra manual effort. Digitisation ensures that team members can produce financial statements regardless of where they are working, and a timely release of financial results helps to reassure stakeholders that the company is operating smoothly despite crisis-related disruptions. Additionally, a digital finance function can more easily identify troublesome business areas and offer helpful ideas for addressing their challenges. For instance, the department can help determine which costs are strategic and should not be cut, and which costs can be delayed or reduced. Finally, the digital CFO can keep a close watch on collections, liquidity and any delinquency and take proactive steps to mitigate risks. These capabilities are always advantageous but given the sudden and intense disruption that many companies are experiencing during the pandemic, they are more important than ever. TCS’ finance department’s digital transformation Our observations about the effectiveness of highly digital finance offices are based not only on research and client experience, but also on the TCS finance department’s digital transformation. This experience offers instructive lessons for CFOs across industries, particularly during the current crisis. The pandemic hit TCS at perhaps the worst possible time for the finance function, just a few short weeks before the fiscal year ended (March 31, 2020). Even though all members of our finance team and auditors were working remotely from their homes, we were the first Indian public company to announce our fully audited results of operations from more than 50 countries where we do business. Results were released on schedule in April. This, at a time when, for instance, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had issued a 45-day earnings extension and a number of companies in the S&amp;P 500 were delaying their quarterly earnings releases. Moreover, TCS was the first company in India to hold a virtual annual shareholder meeting. This occurred on June 11, 2020, the same date that had been scheduled months before the pandemic hit. This was only possible because we had extensively digitised our finance function over nearly two decades. TCS is a $22 billion company with 470,000 employees and more than a thousand large customers. Such a business cannot run efficiently or effectively without an integrated, enterprise-wide, single-instance financial accounting and reporting system. We undertake so many transactions that no one person — or even a team of people — in finance can see patterns rapidly or with the needed microscopic granularity. Technology is the lynchpin, the enabler. Capitalising on the digital transformation of the finance unit As the COVID-19 pandemic has made abundantly clear, every enterprise needs a digitally sophisticated finance function. Such a function is a means by which the CFO can be an indispensable partner to the CEO in running an organisation that is resilient and financially stable. Digitisation also enables the CFO and C-suite colleague to ensure that the organisation maintains adequate liquidity, generates strong cash flow, reduces the working capital cycle, and mitigates enterprise risks. A digitally transformed finance function also empowers the CFO to prioritise strategic investments and interventions that let the enterprise realise its core purpose. Of course, digital transformation cannot be achieved overnight. The initiatives and investments need to be made over time. Teams must be trained and oriented toward working in a highly digitised environment with a culture of adaptability tied to the organisation’s purpose. For the journey to succeed, having the right team is essential. Digital finance teams are content to let technology serve as bean counters while they focus on the company’s goals. They form an organisation that enables business unit leaders to understand what is happening based on key metrics and help implement interventions to deliver better results. This way the CFO can fulfill their role as an effective partner to the CEO and help the organisation thrive. The article has been exclusively curated for TCS Perspectives - TCS' Management Journal (by TCS Thought Leadership Institute). 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EXCLUSIVE: TCS CFO explains how the role of a finance head has been changed by the pandemic

<ul><li>Tata Consultancy Services or <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> posted a 5% growth in net profits in the first quarter of FY23 at ₹9,478 crore.</li><li>On a quarter on quarter comparison, its profits fell by 5% as it was hit by increased costs across streams.</li><li>TCS’ CEO Rajesh Gopinathan too said that it started the new fiscal year on a ‘strong note’ and a good deal wins.</li></ul>Tata Consultancy Services or TCS posted a 5% growth in net profits in the first quarter of FY23 at ₹9,478 crore as compared to the same period last year, which was at ₹9,008 crore. However, on a quarter on quarter comparison, its profits fell by 5% as it was hit by increased costs across streams — like travel expenses in addition to employee benefit costs. The company’s profit grew by 5% compared to last year. “It has been a challenging quarter from a cost management perspective. Our Q1 operating margin of 23.1% reflects the impact of our annual salary increase, the elevated cost of managing the talent churn and gradually normalizing travel expenses,” said Samir Seksaria, CFO of TCS. These costs loaded on to the company’s books and took the sheen off 16% revenue growth on a year-on-year comparison. The company however insists that their long-term cost structures and competitiveness remain unchanged. <div type="image" title="TCS profits grows at 5%, hit by salary hikes, talent churn and travel costs" msid="92751815" hostid="261" sizebytes="95427"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Don’t see an immediate footprint of recession" comment="subhead" text="Don’t see an immediate footprint of recession">Don’t see an immediate footprint of recession</cmsannotation> TCS’ CEO Rajesh Gopinathan too said that it started the new fiscal year on a ‘strong note’ and a good deal wins. Its total order book stood at $8.2 billion. “Pipeline velocity and deal closures continue to be strong, but we remain vigilant given the macro-level uncertainties. Looking ahead, we remain confident in the resilience of technology spending and the secular tailwinds driving our growth,” said Gopinathan. When asked about the possibility of recession and its impact on the company, Gopinath said that the top management is having serious discussions on recession. “We do not see an immediate footprint of it in the near term,” he said at the press conference. TCS also declared an interim dividend in the quarter. “We would like to inform you that at the board meeting held today (on Friday), the directors have declared an interim dividend of ₹8 per equity share of ₹1 each of the company," the company said in the BSE filing. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Table: TCS’ first quarter of FY23 in numbers" comment="subhead" text="Table: TCS’ first quarter of FY23 in numbers">Table: TCS’ first quarter of FY23 in numbers</cmsannotation> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Particulars </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q1 FY23 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q4 FY22 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q1 FY22 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹52,758 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹50,591 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹45,411 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Net profit </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹9,478 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹9,926 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹9,008 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Margin </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">18% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">19.6% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">19.8% </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Company reports Wage hikes, currency volatility and a potential slowdown in international markets like US and Europe could impact the results of the Tata Group subsidiary, a report by Emkay had predicted. Increasing visa and travel costs, along with supply chain pressures, could affect the operating margins. In spite of pricing in these events, TCS’s profits missed analyst expectations of many brokerages like Motilal Oswal, Emkay Global, Edelweiss and Prabhudas Lilladher. TCS shares fell by nearly 15% in value ever since the start of this year, and they closed at ₹3,264 on July 8. The company’s share price declined 13% in April-June 2022, performing better than the Nifty IT index’s 23.14% drop in the same period. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/dmarts-growth-momentum-could-be-impacted-by-high-inflation/articleshow/92747965.cms">DMart has more stores and no disruptions like it wanted – and investors are excited</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/not-just-crude-gold-silver-and-even-wheat-and-edible-oil-prices-are-going-down-in-india/articleshow/92748130.cms">It’s not just crude, gold, silver and even wheat and edible oil prices are going down</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/spicejet-shares-plunge-sharply-due-to-several-technical-malfunctions-and-rising-jet-fuel-prices/articleshow/92742788.cms">SpiceJet: In the eye of a perfect storm</a>

TCS profits grows at 5%, hit by salary hikes, talent churn and travel costs

New Delhi, Feb 13 () India's largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Thursday said its board has decided to extend CFO V Ramakrishnan's term up to April 30, 2021. "...the Board of Directors, at its meeting held today, has extended the term of V. Ramakrishnan as the Chief Financial Officer up to April 30, 2021," the company said in a regulatory filing.  MBI  RVK

TCS board extends CFO Ramakrishnan's term up to April 2021

<ul><li><keyword id="7681538" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tech-Mahindra-CFO">Tech Mahindra CFO</keyword> <keyword id="388883" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manoj-Bhat">Manoj Bhat</keyword> is happy with the budget but feels more could have been done to address the needs of the IT services industry specifically.</li><li>Taxation, for instance, could have been simplified to ease the cost of doing business across multiple geographies.</li><li>Since the IT services industry has been a huge job creator in India, it would also have been helpful if there were more incentives for employment generation.</li></ul>India’s latest budget did acknowledge the role of technology in economic revival. For instance, the government plans to introduce e-courts for faster resolution of disputes. It also earmarked ₹1,500 crore to dole our financial incentives for digital transactions. However, what the IT services players in India, like <keyword id="43217" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tech-Mahindra">Tech Mahindra</keyword>, HCL Technologies, Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), wanted to see was some relief on taxes and incentives for job creation. “I think the government has come up with a budget that is investment oriented. In a lot of ways that ticks a lot of the boxes. But, specifically for IT services, there’s nothing there,” Tech Mahindra CFO, Manoj Bhat told Business Insider in an exclusive interview. Taxation is getting more complicated world over The industry lobby, NASSCOM, hoped for some clarity on the tax framework with more employees working from home — a trend that many companies plan to stick to in some form or the other in the long run. “As companies like us become larger and operate in so many countries, helping us work through some easier tax situations esp in international context whether its around transfer pricing or some of the other laws that are coming through would have been nice,” said Bhat. Transfer pricing relates to the prices charged by different entities — located in different jurisdictions — for goods and services. The tax rules related to transfer pricing are complex. Governments, in India and abroad, are becoming increasingly proactive in scrutinising transfer pricing policies and practices. The IT services industries is a big job creator At a time when the Indian economy needs a demand boost, Tech Mahindra’s CFO also believes that the budget could have done with adding some incentives for job creation. “That’s something they should consider perhaps in terms of continuing some of the benefits that were offered in the past few years that are no longer there,” said Bhat. In the past, the sector has been a huge boon for creating new opportunities and helping the economy grow. NASSCOM estimates that the $200 billion industry created over 200,000 new jobs in 2019 — a year that saw massive unemployment in India. “We require WFH to be enabled in SEZs (Special Economic Zones on a long-term basis. Since this requires movement of duty-free goods like laptops etc outside the SEZs, the Finance Ministry should provide the requisite clarifications under Customs and GST,” said NASSCOM in their pre-budget expectations. Even though bigger players can do without the incentives, smaller and upcoming IT companies would have welcomed the relief. The demand for talent is also on the rise as businesses that were once hesitant about going digital are bringing up their timelines to ensure that their customers can still reach them even if stepping out of the house isn’t an option. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/india-becomes-the-first-asian-country-allow-small-investors-to-directly-lend-to-the-government/articleshow/80701417.cms">India becomes the first Asian country to allow small investors to directly lend to the government</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-will-transform-in-2021-as-india-pumps-big-money-to-draw-in-startups-for-the-second-space-age/articleshow/80683054.cms">ISRO will transform in 2021 as India pumps big money to draw in startups for the 'second space age'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/new-citizenship-law-pulls-india-down-in-the-democracy-rankings-and-2021-is-not-looking-better/articleshow/80671194.cms">New citizenship law pulls India down in the democracy rankings — and 2021 is not looking better</a>

INTERVIEW: Two things on Tech Mahindra CFO’s wishlist for the Budget 2021-22 that were left unaddressed

<ul><li>NASSCOM and Bank of America are at odds about the job cuts set to occur across the Indian IT industry in the ongoing fiscal year.</li><li>Bank of America asserts that up to three million people could find themselves unemployed as a result of automation while NASSCOM asserts that only 1.4 million are employed in the ‘low skill’ segment to begin with.</li><li>Companies in the Indian IT sector may continue to be ‘net hirers’ in FY22, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t be losing their jobs to software programs that can perform day-to-day tasks better than humans. </li></ul>India’s leading information technology (IT) lobby, NASSCOM, and analysts at Bank of America are sparring over how many employees in the sector are set to lose their jobs this year. Whether it's half a million or three million, ‘low skilled’ <keyword id="57650" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="IT-jobs">IT jobs</keyword> are under threat of automation — and even the executives recognise this. Bank of America has estimated that Tata Consultancy Services (<keyword id="6357150" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tcs">TCS</keyword>), <keyword id="6354512" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword>, <keyword id="141968" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HCL-Tech">HCL Tech</keyword>, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Cognizant and others will see a 30% reduction in ‘low-skilled’ jobs globally by 2022 because of robot process automation (RPA). The global financial services company gauged that around 9 million people are employed in such roles in India, which means 3 million — one third of the total — will find themselves unemployed by the end of the year. NASSCOM has hit back saying that only 1.5 million people are employed in low-skilled and BPO roles, not 9 million. Which means, even if there are to be job losses, at the same rate as Bank of America is predicting, they may only amount to around half a million. However, the IT lobby asserts that the sector will be a net creation of jobs in the ongoing fiscal year. <div type="ExtQuote" text="The Industry continues to be a net hirer of skilled talent, adding 138,000 people in FY2021, and robust hiring plans for FY22 with the top 5 Indian IT companies planning to add over 96,000 employees." auname="NASSCOM statement"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Who should be afraid of automation?" comment="subhead" text="Who should be afraid of automation?">Who should be afraid of automation?</cmsannotation> RPA isn’t actually robots — it’s software. And it’s programmed to complete specific business processes, which are routine, high-volume activities like routine help desk requests, call centre operations, data migration and other applications. RPAs can be chatbots, virtual assistants, data retrieval as well as claims processing algorithms. The justification for their use — despite the threat to actual human jobs — is that they will allow employees to focus on more specific tasks that require soft skills. At the same time, they will save companies a bucket-load of money. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Job roles in decreasing demand across industries:</td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Data entry clerks </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Administrative and executive secretaries </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Accounting, bookkeeping and payroll clerks </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Accountants and auditors </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Business and administrative managers </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Client information and customer service works </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">General and operation manages </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Financial analysts </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sales representatives </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Relationship managers </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Human resources specialists </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Work 2020’ report Bank of America estimates that $100 billion in annual salaries and associated expenses will come in as savings as a result of automation. “Given that robots can function for 24 hrs a day, this represents a significant saving of up to 10:1 versus human labour,” said the report. However, according to NASSCOM, existing business process outsourcing (BPO) employees won’t be impacted by automation because most of the work that is being done now involves “higher end expertise”. That is to say, that ‘low skilled’ jobs have already been ‘filtered out’ — employees were either fired or upskilled — over the last few years. But one of its members, Tech Mahindra, disagrees. During an <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/it-companies-set-to-slash-3-million-jobs-by-2022-due-to-automation-report/story/441821.html">analyst call</a> in February, the company’s chief financial officer (CFO), Manoj Bhat, disclosed that automation will result in savings for the company. India’s fifth-largest IT exporter also disclosed that it planned to lay off 5,000 employees within its BPO vertical by April this year with chatbots and virtual assistants increasing the productivity per employee. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hiring trends by Indian IT companies in the previous and ongoing fiscal years: </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Indian IT company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Freshers hiring in FY21 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Freshers hiring plans for FY22 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TCS </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">40,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">40,000 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Infosys </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">21,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">26,000 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HCL Tech </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">12,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">12,000 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Wipro </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Around 9,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Undisclosed </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tech Mahindra </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Undisclosed </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">At least 5,000 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TOTAL </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">82,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">83,000 </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Quarterly earnings calls by the respective companies <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Automation is a global phenomenon — not an India-specific problem" comment="subhead" text="Automation is a global phenomenon — not an India-specific problem">Automation is a global phenomenon — not an India-specific problem</cmsannotation> While India is among those most at risk due to automation, it’s hardly alone in trying to face this dilemma. The US, which was grappling with high unemployment numbers during the pandemic, is set to see 1 million jobs disappear due RPA, according to Bank of America. “We are seeing increasing use of artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation, which can destroy millions of jobs,” American economist <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/interview-nouriel-roubini-professor-of-economics-new-york-universitys-stern-school-of-business-talks-about-the-future-of-global-economy-post-covid-19/articleshow/78746518.cms">Nouriel Roubini</a> said during the Business Insider Global Trends Festival 2020. With the COVID-19 crisis, the adoption of automation has accelerated. Globally, around 85 million jobs are on the line, according to the World Economic Forum (<a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2020.pdf">WEF</a>). Not just in IT, but other sectors like retail and healthcare. And, India is racing ahead of the rest of the world. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“While 58% [of businesses in India] are accelerating automation of tasks, compared to 50% globally, as many as 87% are accelerating digitalisation of work processes, above the global average of 84%.&quot;" auname="World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Work 2020’ report"></div> While some jobs may go out the window, new jobs will also be created as a result of automation. Overall, with 85 million jobs expected to disappear globally by 2025, 97 million new jobs will be created, as per the WEF report — that’s a net addition of 12 million jobs. For those caught in the crosshairs of ‘digital transformation’, upskilling and reskilling will be their saving grace. However, that window of opportunity is getting smaller. "The Industry is upskilling more than 250,000 employees in digital skills and has hired more than 40,000 fresh digitally trained talent, indicating at its commitment and investment towards rapid enhancement of workforce capabilities," said NASSCOM. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/sbi-hdfc-icici-and-12-others-banks-are-joining-forces-to-use-blockchain-to-power-letters-of-credit-a-move-that-could-be-a-boon-for-msmes/articleshow/83570874.cms">SBI, HDFC, ICICI and 12 others banks are joining forces to use blockchain to power Letters of Credit — a move that could be a boon for MSMEs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-download-link-early-access-registration/articleshow/83597180.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India beta now available, early access rolling out – download and registration links here</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/tether-is-a-cryptocurrency-thats-not-volatile-and-pegged-against-the-us-dollar/articleshow/83604895.cms">Tether is a cryptocurrency that's not volatile and pegged against the US Dollar — here's everything you need to know</a>

Whether it's half a million or three million — 'low skilled' IT jobs in India are definitely at risk

<ul><li>Any lead that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had gained over Infosys has nearly been erased.</li><li>Infosys outperformed TCS in Q2 2020 and it looking to boost the growing revenue from its digital services.</li><li>TCS' digital business, on the other hand, is slowing down.</li></ul>Infosys performed considerably better than Tata Consultancy Services (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/tcs-q2-earning-report-profit-at-8042-crore/articleshow/71521639.cms">TCS</a>) during the second quarter of the current financial year. The Indian MNC has even raised its full-year guidance to 9% to 10%. Valuation premium that TCS had gained over Infosys through the early part of 2019 has been nearly been erased, according to Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities. Infosys expects bottom line growth from its digital sector where it feels it will be able to capture a higher premium from its clients. "Digital pricing is a new area we are looking at — how we price digital service and command a premium from our clients," said CFO of Infosys, Nilanjan Roy, during the earnings call. "Our digital margins are higher than our core business, that's something we already know. I think the way we repurpose our digital talent and looking at the scarcity, we think there's an opportunity of how to price this scarce talent — depending on skills, experience, what sort of clients they work with," he added. TCS' digital business, on the other hand, has slowed down from being on track to cross 40% last quarter to a mere 28% at the end of September 2019. "We downgrade TCS to neutral and strike it off our list of conviction picks following 4% EPS (earnings per share) cut and a weak growth trajectory," according to analysts at HDFC Securities Institutional Research. Here's a comparison of key metrics of the two tech giants in the three months between June and September 2019: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Infosys </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TCS </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Revenue growth in constant currency terms compared to last year </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">11.4% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8.4% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Full-year guidance </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">9-10% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Single digit growth </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Deal wins </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$2.8 billion </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1.16 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hiring </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">7,457 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14,097 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Digital services growth </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">38.4% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">27.9% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">EBIT Margin </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">21.7% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">24% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Forex impact </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">(-)15 bps (June-Sep) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">(-)260 bps (Apr-Sep) </td></tr></tbody></table>

Here’s how Infosys and TCS earnings performance in Q2 2020 stack up against each other

<ul><li>Indian IT giants are scrutinising every aspect of their expenses in order to cut down on costs as business takes a hit during the coronavirus pandemic. </li><li>Wage hikes have been paused, new employees aren’t being onboarded, and it helps that <keyword id="123591" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Work-from-home">work from home</keyword> means that travel expenditure is low for the meanwhile. </li><li>The weakening rupee against the US dollar brings in support. </li><li>Cost-cutting measures may help companies tide through the turbulent time, but they won’t help overall margins expand. </li></ul>The global economic recession would mean that the companies that employ the services of Tata Consultancy Services (<keyword id="6357150" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tcs">TCS</keyword>), <keyword id="6354512" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword>, HCL Technologies, <keyword id="10862" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wipro">Wipro</keyword>, <keyword id="43217" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tech-Mahindra">Tech Mahindra</keyword> and the likes are likely to cut corners and therefore, the Indian IT giants will also have to curb costs. All IT majors in India have listed a few ways ⁠— no salary hikes, reduced costs like travel and sponsorships, increased work from home⁠ — to cut costs. And, the Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are hoping that a stronger dollar will boost margin when earnings are converted to rupee. However, a former Infosys Board Member TV Mohandas Pai believes that all these may, at best, keep the margin intact. “The IT industry will suffer in the near term due to bankruptcies of clients, a decline in spends, and economic contractions,” Pai told Edelweiss. “Big companies are already making 20 to 25% margins, and both rupee depreciation and productivity improvement are the tools that enable them to maintain margins,” he added. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Operating Margin Q4 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TCS </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">25.1% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Infosys </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">21.1% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HCL Technologies </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">20.9% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Wipro </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">17.6% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tech Mahindra </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">15.5% </td></tr></tbody></table> IT majors have ‘no regret’ capping salaries for the time being Wipro is considering temporarily putting employees on leave in order to manage costs. Similarly, Infosys CFO Nilanjan Roy, said “We have stopped hiring temporarily, we have also frozen any salary hikes, we have temporarily suspended all promotions — so these, we believe, are no-regret moves,” during the fourth-quarter earnings call. So, how much does that save? According to the TCS annual report, the average annual increase was 6% in India. And, for the top five IT companies in India the employee costs can range from 30% to as much as 54%. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Actual employee cost FY20 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">% of revenue </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HCL Technologies </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 9,916 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30.4% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TCS </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 64,906 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">49.4% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Infosys </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 42,434 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">53.7% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TM </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 9,282.70 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">31.8% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Wipro </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 26,171.80 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">51.9% </td></tr></tbody></table> ‘Work from home’ can be a big cost saver <keyword id="141968" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HCL-Tech">HCL Tech</keyword> has proposed a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hcl-tech-follows-tcs-and-infosys-lead-says-50-of-its-employees-will-work-from-home-even-after-the-lockdown-is-lifted/articleshow/75593968.cms">50/50 plan</a> ⁠— where only 50% of its employees will need to work from office at any given time ⁠— while TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan wants only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-ceo-says-the-business-model-is-20-years-old-and-its-time-to-go-employee-lite/articleshow/75243124.cms">25% of the employees on any project at any one place, at any one time. </a> The rest can work from home even after the lockdown has ended. “This would axe travel and real estate costs by roughly 300 to 400 basis points,” according to Pai. A hundred basis points make for a percent. However, there are other <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2020/03/30/productivity-pitfalls-working-home-age-covid-19/">experts who believe</a> that any increase in productivity seen during the pandemic may only be temporary as other social options are limited. Once the lockdown is lifted and normal activity resumes, the same level of productivity may prove difficult to sustain. A weaker rupee is good for companies that earn in dollars Infosys has already gained 2% on the rupee depreciation — which meant a 50 basis points margin benefit — in the fourth quarter with 97% of their billing in foreign currency. HCL technologies also saw a similar benefit on their margins of around 53 basis points. “Foreign exchange movements, particularly the rupee movement is the one that gave us the maximum benefit,” said CFO of HCL Technologies, Prateek Agarwal. For TCS, movements in currency exchange rates through the year resulted in a positive impact of 0.1% on the reported revenue — that’s around 10 basis points for the whole year. These cost-cutting measures are the need of the hour to maintain margins, however, they aren’t going to spurt profitability, according to Pai. IT majors will be happy keeping the profit margin where it is with FY20 being more about sustaining growth rather than boosting profits. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/indian-banks-earn-3-1-billion-with-rbi-instead-of-giving-loans-to-businesses-despite-repo-rate-cut/articleshow/76000355.cms">Indian banks have made $3.1 billion just by parking funds with the RBI — instead of giving them out as loans</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/these-indian-states-have-seen-the-worst-economic-impact-due-to-the-covid-19-pandemic/articleshow/75999085.cms">These Indian states have seen the worst economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/airtel-share-price-target-as-africa-unit-nears-a-billion-dollars-in-revenue/articleshow/75970641.cms">Airtel’s Africa unit is now a nearly-billion dollar business where every user pays 40% more than the one in India</a>

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