French IT firm Atos to hire 15,000 employees in India: Report

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With an existing workforce 40,000 in India, Atos is planning to add another 15,000 employees over the next 12 months in the country, according to a report in The Economic Times. This is due to a productivity shock caused by the acceleration of digitisation and India is at the forefront, the company CEO Elie Girard said. This has further resulted in an increase in demand across sectors like defence, which would benefit employment, he added. However, he also said that there is tension between demand and supply in India, despite being the best provider of these skills.

The French technology company invests about €400 million in India on payroll, skilling and other employee related expenses annually.

It has also invested in National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) by assembling and testing high-performance computers. The € 11 billion firm considers India as an important market and presently, the country accounts for almost one-third of its revenues.

The company also has a quantum lab in India, which would lead the pack in the space, given the magnificent digital force in the country, Girard said. He also added that a lot of the company’s product development in cybersecurity is happening in India.

Company to focus on mid-size acquisitions

Girard said that the company has also been doing a lot of acquisitions and believes that in the next two years, the company will become number one worldwide in cybersecurity services.

Earlier this year, Atos made a bid to acquire DXC Technology, however the deal did not go through eventually. Last year, it had acquired Paladion, which has a significant presence in India.

Though the company will focus on smaller acquisitions and mid size options, the company will pursue for any more acquisitions, Girard said.