The planned increase will see India overtake the US as Accenture’s biggest location. The company currently employs approximately 27,000 staff in India, operating out of centers in Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune, while its US headcount is about 30,000.
Accenture began operating in India in 2001. The company added 4,000 staff in its first two years of business, but since 2003 it has rapidly increased its presence in the region.
Accenture is not the only major western IT services vendor looking to aggressively expand its Indian operation. Last year, IBM announced plans to invest $6bn in India over the next three years. EDS increased its Indian headcount to approximately 14,000 from about 3,000 through the acquisition of Mphasis, while Capgemini’s $1.3bn takeover of Kanbay saw it add 5,000 staff in Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
