Bengaluru: A video clip from HCLTech’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Chennai has triggered a wider conversation on salaries and compensation in India’s IT sector. The video, which has gone viral on social media, shows HCLTech CEO C Vijayakumar taking the stage to address employees.As Vijayakumar greeted the audience with “Vanakkam, Chennai”, employees interrupted his opening remarks with chants of “We want a hike”. The incident took place during a celebratory event that also featured live performances and employee engagement activities.While many viewed the moment as a light-hearted expression of employee sentiment, it has reignited discussions on salary hikes, appraisal cycles and compensation trends in India’s $315 billion IT services industry. Employees across the sector have faced relatively modest pay increases and unpredictable salary revision cycles as companies navigate an uncertain business environment, slower technology spending and the shift towards AI-led services.HCLTech is yet to announce a timeline for salary hikes for the current fiscal, adding to uncertainty among employees who have traditionally expected annual compensation revisions. The delay comes at a time when IT companies are balancing cost pressures with the need to retain skilled talent. An email sent to HCLTech did not elicit a response till press time.Meanwhile, Vijayakumar remains the highest-paid CEO among India’s top IT services companies for the third consecutive year. According to HCLTech’s annual report, his total remuneration rose nearly 67% to $18.3 million (about Rs 177 crore) in FY26.His compensation was more than twice that of Infosys CEO Salil Parekh, more than six times that of TCS CEO K Krithivasan and over three-and-a-half times Wipro CEO Srini Pallia’s remuneration, widening the gap between executive compensation and employee salary growth.In FY26, Vijayakumar’s remuneration was 291.9 times the median remuneration of HCLTech’s global employees. The company said median employee remuneration increased 5.4% during the year, while the average salary increase for employees excluding managerial personnel stood at 2.9%.HCLTech reported June-quarter revenue of $3.6 billion, down 0.9% sequentially but up 3% year-on-year. In constant-currency terms, revenue fell 0.5% quarter-on-quarter and rose 2.6% from a year earlier.
