TCS Shrugs Off H-1B Concerns, Says Hiring Locally In US
New Delhi: India's largest IT company Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) CEO Rajesh Gopinathan said that the company is unperturbed by the possible H-1B visa restrictions and it is willing to make "changes accordingly." Speaking to investors at its post-earnings press conference, Mr Gopinathan said the current discourse on the H-1B issue is driven by emotions rather than economy and the best way to tackle it is through greater engagement.
Responding to questions on a potential executive order or legislations being talked about lawmakers, Mr Gopinathan asserted that there is no law currently in the US that is discriminatory.
The comments come at a time when US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that seeks to closely regulate the process of issuing the H-1B visas, a move which has created concerns for Indian IT outsourcers who rely on highly skilled Indian IT employees to run their foreign operations.
US - the company's largest market - has been a "very welcoming" for the IT major and has provided it with a fair, open and competitive environment, Mr Gopinathan said. Shrugging of fears of prosecution by US officials, Mr Gopinathan said, "TCS has been complaint with directives by a regime and continue to remain so."
Mr Gopinathan, who succeeded N Chandrasekaran as the CEO in January, said that the company has been hiring local hands to support operation in the US and has been increasing hiring locally for a few years now.
TCS reported net profit of Rs 6,608 crore in the quarter ended March 2017, against NDTV Profit's estimates of Rs 6,654 crore, post market hours on Tuesday.
TCS' main rival Infosys which reported its earnings on April 14 had also said it would focus more on local hiring in the US and is also looking at setting up development and training centres in the country as part of its efforts to tide over visa-related issues.
(With agency inputs)
