Indian technology and consulting company Wipro Ltd. will hire 200 software developers and business analysts in the next six months for its office in Atlanta, Wipro CEO T K Kurien told FINS today. The company currently employs about 600 at the office, which opened up 18 months ago.
"We will hire MBAs and undergraduates with both engineering degrees and liberal arts degrees," said Kirk Strawser, managing partner and global head of the consulting practice at Wipro.
The company has a "special relationship" with Georgia Tech University and other universities in the area, he said.
"You cannot be in a country without having a local workforce. We'd like to get kids out of college and train them," said Kurien.
Wipro is one of the world's largest technology outsourcing and consulting companies with 108,000 employees. Its growth has been fueled by foreign companies contracting labor in India that's less expensive than in their home markets. Wipro is expanding in Atlanta in part to provide "onshoring" options for clients, according to Strawser -- especially those who may be reticent to contract foreign labor.
Federal and state governments, for instance, are hesitant to contract Indian firms like Wipro for IT services -- despite possible cost savings -- for political reasons.
"When it comes to elections, giving out jobs to an Indian company to reduce costs is not going to be a very effective model," said Kurien.
Write to Jeremy Greenfield
