The decision by Infosys to hire 10,000 new US workers over the next two years has been characterized as a political victory by the White House. The global tech outsourcing firm has been facing flak from US President Donald Trump for eating into American jobs.
"We're glad to see companies like Infosys see opportunity in the American economy again," Ninio Fetalvo, a White House spokesman, told The Washington Post, pointing to the announcement by Infosys as further evidence of companies renewing investment in the United States as a result of the Trump administration's "pro-growth economic agenda."
The Bengaluru-headquartered firm plans to open four U.S.-based "hubs," starting in Indianapolis in August. The company expects that the Indiana site will create 500 jobs by next year, and possibly up to 2,000 by 2021.
"We want to create a culture of close proximity," Vishal Sikka, the Infosys chief executive, said at a press conference touting the company's desire to train and hire graduates from local universities and community colleges.
Trump’s ‘America first’ rhetoric has led to increased criticism of outsourcing firms, including Infosys. The companies have been targeted over what has been termed as their rampant use of H-1B visas to bring tech workers to the United States.
The visas, distributed to companies by lottery each year, are supposed to be used to import high-skilled foreign workers in technology and science fields. Critics in the US, however, believe that firms like Infosys, traditionally among the largest H-1B visa recipients, often use them to displace American workers and depress overall wages.
Reiterating his campaign promise to protect American workers and their wages, Trump signed an executive order last month to begin overhauling the decades-old H-1B visa program.
Infosys, on the other hand, maintains that its announcement was a "natural evolution" of the company's work in the U.S.
Ravi Kumar S., president of Infosys, said plans for creating the U.S. employment sites began a year ago, and accelerated in Indianapolis in February following Trump's inauguration.
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