In line with that pattern, US-based IT engineering services provider EPAM Systems has sharply increased hiring in India, with additions of over 2,000 employees in the first 10 months of 2024. Now, its India headcount stands at over 9,000 and the employee headcount is likely to cross 10,000 before early 2025. This marks a tenfold growth in headcount in India over the last decade and stands for EPAM’s growing presence and investment in the region.
Entry into EPAM India and Expansion Since Acquisition
In 2015, EPAM entered the Indian market by acquiring Alliance Global Services, a software and technology services company located in Hyderabad. Alliance Global had around 1,000 employees in Hyderabad at the time of acquisition. Through this acquisition, EPAM has utilized it as a means to expand operations rapidly throughout the country, establishing one of the significant delivery hubs for its international operations.
EPAM India is working out of several cities now, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Gurugram, and scaling rapidly. According to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Vice President of EPAM Systems, Jason Peterson, the Indian workforce is likely to touch the 10,000 mark by early 2025, which is a testimony to the long-term commitment shown by the company toward the Indian market.
EPAM India: Workforce Scale Currently and Across the Globe
The company’s annual report put the headcount at EPAM India as of the end of 2023 at 7,050. Headcount has skyrocketed to over 9,000 since then due to continued hiring and expansion across offices in India, said Peterson. “Other key regions like Ukraine are stable but productive.”.
Historically, EPAM’s Ukraine center has been the company’s largest delivery hub as of December 2023, with 9,113 employees working there. However, the war in Ukraine which Russia initiated in February 2022 posed a major challenge to the company’s operations in that region. Despite the challenges that have arisen, EPAM managed business continuity plans and maintained productivity in Ukraine while continuing to diversify its base of talent across other regions.
Impact of the War in Ukraine and Global Business Strategy
The Ukraine War continues to impact the operations of the company worldwide. While discussing how the war created problems for the firm, the company revealed, during its annual report for 2023, that “the attack on Ukraine and its people by Russian forces beginning on February 24, 2022, shifted the way we operate in this and other locations.”
EPAM developed business continuity plans to maintain business, and its footprint increased in other regions. The company has started extensive hiring in Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia, India, and Latin America. These strategic movements helped to balance risks coming from the war in Ukraine and assured global delivery capabilities in EPAM’s strategy.
Increased Role of India in EPAM’s Global Strategy
India is considered an important base for EPAM Systems, especially due to its large IT talent pool and cost-effectiveness of operation. The rapid growth of its workforce across India is emphasized by the burgeoning importance of this market in EPAM’s international strategy, according to Peterson, who said that “the Indian market has big growth prospects in both talent and business building”.
As the Indian IT industry goes higher, EPAM is ready to tap the country’s strong talent pool. The company’s strong hiring and expansion plans for up to 10,000 employees by early 2025 point to a robust commitment to India as a strategic location for its global operations.
Conclusion
EPAM Systems is expanding rapidly in India to take advantage of the company’s growth trajectory and utilize India’s potential IT talent pool. The firm added over 2,000 employees in just 10 months, and it has a plan to reach 10,000 employees by 2025 with all those 10,000 employees serving as EPAM India, an essential component of the company’s global service delivery. In the midst of the difficulties in Ukraine, strategic interest in India and other geographies will enable EPAM’s success to continue with steadfastness in a rapidly changing global scenario.
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