'TCS is employer of choice'

The country's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services on Monday said it has maintained its position as the 'employer of choice' with the best retention rate in the industry.

The company, while announcing its second quarter results, said that as many as 8,919 employees joined it in June-September period, taking its total headcount to 78,028 employees.

The company's global human resources head S Padmanabhan said, "We continue to be the employer of choice in the industry with the best retention rate and this is helping us execute on the ground globally."

TCS continued to maintain the lowest attrition rate in the industry at 10.6 per cent, the company said.

Talking about its FY08 hiring plans, the company said it had already made 11,250 offers on the campus.

The company witnessed a net addition of 6,663 employees from 60 different nationalities in its workforce in the quarter. In the year ago quarter, TCS employed people from 49 different countries.

Non-Indian nationals formed 8.3 per cent of the company's workforce, up from 7.3 per cent in the previous quarter and 3.9 per cent in the year ago quarter.

Women made up for 25 per cent of total employees, unchanged from the previous quarter and up from 23 per cent in the year ago quarter.

In the latest quarter, the company recruited 3,764 people through campus placements, while 4,200 came through lateral hires, which is the highest number for a single quarter.

The company hired 955 employees in foreign subsidiaries and branches, taking its overseas headcount to 6,253 at the end of the quarter.