Infosys to expand in Atlanta, create 200 jobs
Indian IT software and services giant, Infosys, is expanding its U.S. operations into Atlanta with plans to add 200 new headcount in the Georgian city.
Citing Infosys' filing made to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Times of India reported Monday that the company has identified Atlanta as a strategic hub for growth in the United States. It plans to add 200 new jobs over the next fiscal 2013-2014 at its facility in Cumberland, Cobb County, and expects additional expansion in metro Atlanta over the next two years.
The Indian company said it set up a a BPO (business process outsourcing) center in Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, due to the availability of infrastructure and talent in the city. The facility serves North American customers.
"It is critical for Infosys to create global hubs of talent and the southeast is a key U.S. region [which is home to] a number of our important clients," said Gautam Thakkar, Infosys' BPO vice president and unit head of enterprise services.
According to the report, Bangalore-headquartered Infosys has operations in 19 locations across the U.S., apart from Atlanta.
In a separate report by The Hindu Business Line Monday, Cobb County has a young workforce aged 25 to 44 years which industry watchers said was one reason that prompted Infosys' BPO unit to grow its existing workforce. The county also has low taxes, compared to other southeastern regions.
Infosys' expansion plan and hiring expectations in the U.S. come two months after it refuted reports that it was sacking up to 5,000 employees for poor performance.
It added that there were no plans for mass layoffs and the number of underperformers leaving the company could potentially be "significantly lower" than the 5,000 speculated. "We have a robust performance management system that includes structured appraisals and performance feedback. This is done regularly and is not a one-time event," Infosys said.
The company's U.S. expansion also follows a report last month where market analyst firm, Gartner, forecasted that more western companies would turn to "nearshoring". These companies, Gartner said, would increasingly place outsourced jobs nearer to their home base due to political and labor costs pressures.