NEW DELHI, INDIA: Things get better HCL Tech plans to hire 2,000 by Dec-Jan; considering salary hikes for top performers Infosys said it will be starting compensation review for need-based promotion starting Oct Mahindra Satyam will reinstate variable pay across employee levels starting Oct 1 Employers are talking about hiring, salary hikes and promotions after almost a year of cost cutting that involved lay-offs, lower perks and recruitment freezes.

HCL Technologies plans to hire 2,000 people over the next quarter, including some fresh graduates. It has started the process of identifying its top performers for a salary hike.

"We plan to hire 2,000 people in the next three to four months," D.K. Srivastava, global HR head for HCL Tech, told Hindustan Times. "Promotions will continue and we will reward our consistent top performers this year as well," he added, saying the extent will vary between employees, he said.

Infosys Technologies said last week that it would start a compensation review exercise for "need-based promotion" starting October 1, signalling a new employee welfare initiative. Mahindra Satyam is also trying to rebuild its corporate image and employer brand after the Mahindras took over the corporate fraud-hit Satyam Computer Services, and renamed it.