Hired over 12,500 people in US in last 5 years: TCS

New Delhi: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has hired over 12,500 people in the US in the last five years even as Indian IT outsourcing firms face accusations of taking away American jobs.

TCS also said that it has invested nearly USD 3 billion in the US over the past three years in terms of employment, new innovation labs, extensive nationwide STEM education programmes and academic partnerships as well as endowments.

Citing a study by The Cambridge Group, TCS today said it ranks among the top two job creators having recruited more than 12,500 US employees from 2012-2016.

The report also ranked TCS as numero uno in terms of US employee growth during that period, at 57 percent.

"Our industry leading US recruitment advanced digital training of employees, and academic and STEM partnership programs act as a key contributor to the US innovation economy," TCS President (North America, UK and Europe) Surya Kant said in a statement.

This also helps in preparing the current and upcoming workforce with foundational skills needed for 21st century careers, he added.

The statement comes at a time when Indian IT companies are confronted by closer scrutiny and tighter visa norms in the US, a market that accounts for nearly 60 per cent of India's IT exports.

With rising protectionism across markets, including Singapore and Australia, companies are beginning to adjust their business models to reduce their dependence on visas, hiring more locals instead.

The ramp up in local hiring is also aimed at placating the Donald Trump administration in the US that has been critical of outsourcing firms.

The US had accused TCS, as well as peers Infosys and Cognizant of unfairly cornering the lions share of US H-1B work visas, taking jobs away from American workers.

The tightening of visa norms not only pushes up operational costs for these tech firms, but also makes movement of skilled workforce difficult.

Infosys has already announced that it would hire 10,000 Americans over the next two years and set up four innovation hubs in the US.