Amid Coronavirus crisis across the sector HCL Technologies is planning big for small-town cities across the country. Software maker HCL Technologies is planning to increase headcount in towns such as Lucknow, Nagpur, Madurai, Vijaywada, in the next 2-3 years.

According to media reports, the company already has 10,000 employees in these cities and the expansion will consist of people moving back to their hometowns and new hirings.

CEO C Vijayakumar reportedly said people felt safer close to their families in their hometowns. Opening up delivery centres in small towns is part of the company’s location derisking strategy which has been in place since 2016.

More than 90 pc of India’s 4.3 million tech workers have been working from home since the Covid-19 pandemic started.

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Many employees shifted back to their hometowns since offices were shut down first for the lockdown and in many cases continue to remain shut as the pandemic rages across the country.

HCL isn’t alone which plans to expand its workforce despite the recession. Market leader Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has its campus placement plans intact. The company hired as many as 40,000 candidates last year who competed in its TCS National Qualified Test (TNQT).