Author: Asher J

A High Court has ruled that establishments cannot evade coverage under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 by restructuring payroll records to appear below the statutory employee threshold. The judgment came in a case involving the Diamond Silk Khadi Society, a khadi institution operating under Khadi and Village Industries Commission norms. The organisation had challenged orders issued by Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) authorities, which assessed contributions after determining that the establishment employed more than 10 workers. The society contended that it had only nine employees and argued that several individuals associated with its operations were independent artisans rather than formal…

KPMG has initiated layoffs in its US advisory division, reducing its workforce by around 4% as demand softens in select consulting areas, particularly regulatory and financial services advisory. The job cuts impact approximately 400 employees out of more than 10,000 professionals in the firm’s US advisory business. The reductions are largely concentrated in roles related to regulatory risk, customer operations, and financial services consulting. According to reports, a significant share of those affected were in lower performance bands, while senior leadership, including partners, has not been impacted. The firm has been addressing a mismatch between earlier hiring expansion and current…

Axis Bank is set to reduce its workforce by more than 3,100 employees in FY26, as technology-driven productivity improvements begin to reshape its operational structure. The bank’s total headcount has already declined from about 1.04 lakh to 1.01 lakh, reflecting broad-based reductions across functions rather than cuts in any single department. The workforce rationalisation is linked to the bank’s sustained investments in digital transformation over the past few years. Axis Bank has been allocating close to 10% of its operating expenses toward technology initiatives, enabling automation of processes and streamlining of operations. These efficiency gains have reduced the need for…

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has introduced a system that tracks how employees interact with their computers as part of its expanding artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The initiative, known as the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), records activity such as keystrokes, mouse clicks, and interactions within internal applications. According to the company, the data will be used to train AI systems aimed at improving the automation of everyday computer-based tasks. Meta has stated that the information collected will be used solely for AI development and that safeguards are in place to protect sensitive data. However, the rollout…

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is reportedly preparing for another round of workforce reductions, with around 8,000 roles expected to be affected in the coming weeks. The proposed cuts would represent roughly 10% of the company’s global workforce and mark its largest round of layoffs since the 2022–23 restructuring, when approximately 21,000 positions were eliminated. According to reports, the first phase of layoffs is expected around 20 May, with additional reductions potentially planned later in the year. While the full scope of future cuts has not been officially confirmed, internal planning is said to be influenced…

The Walt Disney Company is expanding its internal use of artificial intelligence with a new tool designed to provide visibility into how AI technologies are being used across teams. The company has introduced an “AI Adoption Dashboard” for select technology employees, offering insights into usage patterns of tools such as Cursor and Claude. The dashboard presents aggregated data on metrics including the number of active users, total requests made, and tokens consumed over defined time periods. It also identifies high-usage accounts, creating what some employees describe as a comparative view of AI activity across teams. This increased visibility has coincided…

Harley-Davidson is moving to restructure its business following a difficult financial year, marked by declining global sales and rising operating losses. The company has initiated workforce reductions as part of a broader cost-control effort. The layoffs, which began in early April, span both manufacturing roles and corporate positions across international operations. While the exact number of affected employees has not been disclosed, the initiative is expected to reduce ongoing costs by approximately $150 million, reflecting efforts to align workforce levels with current demand. The restructuring follows a challenging 2025, during which the company reported a significant operating loss alongside a…

Rockwell Automation has significantly expanded its workforce in India to around 4,000 employees, underscoring the country’s growing role in global manufacturing and digital transformation. The company’s headcount has risen sharply from approximately 700 employees a decade ago. The expansion is being driven by increased industrial activity and a supportive policy environment. Government initiatives aimed at boosting manufacturing, along with favourable taxation and planning frameworks, have strengthened India’s position as an attractive hub for global operations. India is increasingly emerging as a strategic market for automation and technology-driven manufacturing solutions. As industries accelerate the adoption of digital systems, demand for skilled…

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has concluded its year-long workforce restructuring programme, resulting in approximately 8,000 job reductions—lower than the initially projected 12,000. The restructuring initiative, announced in July 2025, was designed to align the company’s workforce with evolving technology demands. At the time, TCS had indicated that around 2% of its global workforce—then exceeding 600,000 employees—could be affected, particularly in mid-level and senior roles. The process was completed in the third quarter of FY26, with total restructuring costs amounting to ₹1,388 crore. The workforce reduction occurred in phases, including about 6,000 exits in one quarter, followed by the remaining reductions…

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has reinstated its traditional April salary-increment cycle, marking a return to its standard appraisal timeline after delays last year. The company confirmed that hikes are effective from 1 April for eligible employees, with top performers receiving double-digit increases. The move follows a disrupted cycle in 2025, when appraisals were deferred to September. During that period, most employees received moderate raises, while high performers were given comparatively stronger increments. The return to the April cycle brings renewed predictability to compensation planning, even as the IT sector navigates cautious client spending and ongoing cost pressures. TCS’s workforce trends…