India's IT firms have big plans for UK

IT firms Infosys and Mphasis on Tuesday said they will create employment for about 2,000 people, while Wipro will invest pound 16 million (about Rs 163 crore) in the UK over the next few years.

The announcements were made ahead of the virtual summit between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Infosys said it plans to hire 1,000 workers in the UK over the next three years as part of efforts to support the country's economic recovery and growth.

These new hires will work in the digital space, including cloud computing, data and analytics, artificial intelligence, open-source technologies and enterprise services, to support some of the world's largest organisations navigate their digital journeys.

The new team members will join Infosys' design studio in Shoreditch, its innovation centre in Canary Wharf and proximity centres in Nottingham and other client locations across the UK.

A large proportion of the workforce will be hired from recently graduated students from leading colleges and universities in the UK to ensure a diverse talent pool and support upskilling efforts, Infosys said.

"While the talent gap has been looming, the events of the past year have exacerbated the need for vital digital skills as businesses have rapidly accelerated their digital transformation.

"Bridging the digital divide and making quality digital education accessible to every citizen is vital to the establishment of a robust future workforce, and the UK's economic recovery," Infosys chief executive officer Salil Parekh said.

Infosys' commitment to the UK is to support both recovery and growth through digital acceleration, hiring new talent, and supporting the development and reskilling of existing talent to meet evolving economic demands, he added.

In a separate statement, IT firm Mphasis said it is expanding its footprint in the UK with a special focus on customer-led digital transformation initiatives in banking and insurance by establishing a nearshore centre outside of London.

It will invest over pound 25 million (about Rs 255 crore) upfront towards establishing the UK centre.

Mphasis expects to create close to 1,000 jobs in the UK, to begin with, and be able to cater to customers even beyond the UK.

"Having successfully executed at least half a dozen similar transformational partnerships in the banking and insurance industry, we are confident of building for the future and ensuring a client-first approach.

"I am excited to elevate our presence in the UK to support future growth, improve operating agility, flexibility and harness local capabilities towards bolstering our offerings over the long term," Mphasis chief executive officer and executive director Nitin Rakesh said.

Wipro has announced the setting up of an Innovation Centre in Holborn, London and will invest pound 16 million over the next four years towards the centre.

The 20,000 sq ft Innovation Centre will serve as Wipro's flagship centre in the UK and offer technology expertise to companies in the UK and globally.

It will be integral to providing advanced digital, cyber security and cloud expertise for customers of Wipro, which employs over 4,000 people in the UK.

Wipro has hired over 500 new employees in the UK in the past 12 months and, with the announcement of the Innovation Centre, expects its talent base to increase further over the coming years, Wipro said in a statement.

"We are proud to announce a new step on our continued investment in the UK with a new Innovation Centre in London.

"This enhances our already powerful presence in the region across 10 offices and over 4,000 employees and will act as an important engine in our drive to boost digital transformation in Europe," Wipro chief executive officer and managing director Thierry Delaporte said.