Top performers at Wipro, the country's fourth-largest IT company, are expected to get an average salary hike of about 8%, two company officials told Mint on condition of anonymity. This year's hike will be better than last year's average of about 6%. About three-fourths of Wipro's 2,00,000 offshore employees, who work away from client locations, are expected to get an 8% hike, while those working from client locations may get a 3% hike.

MSI Cycle effective September 1:  An internal email sent to employees by Wipro Chief HR Officer Saurabh Govil on August 29 said, “We are pleased to inform you that our Merit Salary Increase (MSI) cycle will be effective from September 1, 2024.” Wipro usually gives increments during September-October, but it was delayed last year before starting salary hikes from December 2023.

In a mail sent to employees, Govil wrote, "HR partners will soon share the detailed eligibility guidelines and process with your managers. The revised compensation will be reflected in the October payroll along with September arrears."

Wipro has become the second-largest Indian software company after Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) to announce a salary hike, allaying concerns of a possible delay amid the global tech slowdown. An email sent to Wipro remained unanswered at the time of writing this report.

HCL Tech and Infosys employees are waiting

TCS has offered double-digit salary hikes for top performers and an average of 4.5 to 7% for the rest, effective April 1, 2024. India's $254 billion IT sector grew at its slowest pace of 3.8% last year as clients cut tech spending due to macroeconomic uncertainties. Wipro and TCS have announced increments, but uncertainty still looms over Noida-based HCL Tech and Bengaluru-based Infosys Ltd, both of which have not decided on a salary hike timeline for the year.

Growth is not uniform across teams

Wipro's average salary for employees excluding whole-time directors rose 9.43% in the year ended March 2024 compared to the previous year. However, this increase is not uniform across teams. The second official said that this year the increase could be more than 8% and certainly higher than last year. He said, "We expect a hike of more than 8 percent this time. While we are not sure about the exact number, we believe it will be higher than last year. "