According to Livemint, Wipro has reportedly delayed the process of permanent hiring for at least 400 interns who joined the company in 2022 through the Wipro Integrated Learning Program (WILP). Some of these employees may spend more than five years in the program before becoming full-time staff.
The alleged delay occurred against the backdrop of slowing growth in the IT sector, changes driven by artificial intelligence, and a more cautious approach to hiring new employees, which is a consequence of the aggressive hiring phase following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WILP program, launched in 1995, is Wipro's flagship off-campus recruitment program. It allows participants to work at Wipro full-time while simultaneously earning a fully sponsored Master of Science in Technology (M Tech) degree from a prestigious institution. The program typically lasts four years. Interns work in areas such as software development, coding, and customer support while pursuing their M Tech degree.
According to Livemint, these interns receive a monthly stipend that increases from 15,000 rupees in the first year to 23,000 rupees by the fourth year, but they do not receive full-time employee benefits until conversion to permanent staff.
Details of the Delay
It is reported that the 2022 cohort faced delays at the beginning of the academic part of the program. According to an executive mentioned by Livemint, the program was initially expected to conclude in December of the current year, but academic courses only started in June 2023 due to procedural delays that occurred in 2022.
As stated in the report, interns who joined in the first three months of 2022 may spend more than five years in the program before completing academic requirements and transitioning to full-time positions. Some of these interns allegedly approached Wipro Executive Council Chairman Rishad Premji and CEO Srinidhi Pallie expressing concerns about career progression and financial planning.
The company also announced a postponement of the permanent conversion date by one month, from April 1 to March 1, 2027, according to the report quoted by Livemint. Furthermore, Wipro provided an exception for this group, allowing them to start their dissertation immediately after the seventh semester.
The report also covers another instance of delayed hiring at Wipro. Last month, over 200 entry-level candidates were awaiting recruitment under the company's Elite program, which covers both campus and off-campus hiring. This prompted the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) to write a letter to the Ministry of Labour and Employment requesting consideration of the matter.
Wipro management stated that new hiring will remain tied to business needs. HR Director Saurabh Govil stated during a call after the July results announcement that the company would assess its needs before determining the number of hires in the current fiscal year, while horizontal hiring would continue depending on demand for specific skills.