B.Tech Graduates in Wipro, Infosys, TCS Earning Less Than Plumbers & Electricians? The Brutal Reality!

B.Tech Graduates in Wipro, Infosys, TCS Earning Less Than Plumbers & Electricians? The Brutal Reality!

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Nithish KUpdated on 26 Jun 2025, 03:28 PM IST
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In a country where engineering is seen as a golden ticket to success, a harsh truth is emerging — fresh B.Tech graduates, who spent about Rs.20 lacs and 4 years of their life to acquire that qualification, and working in top IT companies like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and Cognizant, are earning less than skilled and semi-skilled workers like plumbers, electricians, and salon professionals. This story looks at the data and the disturbing reality behind such a huge gap in earning by B.Tech freshers placed from campuses.

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In NIRF 2025, IIT Madras retained the top spot in engineering ranking. Here are the top engineering colleges in India: 

NIRF Rank 

Engineering College 

1

IIT Madras

2

IIT Delhi

3IIT Bombay
4

IIT Kanpur

5

IIT Kharagpur

6

IIT Roorkee

7

IIT Hyderabad

8

IIT Guwahati

9

IIT Tiruchirapalli

10

IIT BHU

11Birla Institute of Technology & Science -Pilani
12Indian Institute of Technology Indore
13National Institute of Technology Rourkela
14S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology
15Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines)
16Vellore Institute of Technology
17National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal
18Jadavpur University
19Indian Institute of Technology Patna
20Anna University
Read More

This Story also Contains

  1. The Stagnant IT Salaries: 15 Years, No Real Growth
  2. Urban Company Workers (Net Average Earnings After Expenses)
  3. Comparing Blue Collar Workers vs B.Tech Graduates – A Salary
B.Tech Graduates in Wipro, Infosys, TCS Earning Less Than Plumbers & Electricians? The Brutal Reality!
B.Tech Graduates in Wipro, Infosys, TCS Earning Less Than Plumbers & Electricians? The Brutal Reality!

The Stagnant IT Salaries: 15 Years, No Real Growth

Back in 2007–2010, the average salary for entry-level software engineers in India stood at around ₹3.5 lakh per annum. Fast forward to 2024, and shockingly, that number remains unchanged for most fresher hires. Despite massive growth in company profits and a 100% surge in inflation, starting salaries at these tech giants remained flat. In real terms, they actually fell by more than half.

Company

Monthly Salary

Yearly Salary

Per Hour Income

TCS (Associate System Engineer)

₹ 28,072

₹ 3.36 lakh

₹ 156

Infosys (System Engineer Trainee)

₹ 30,000

₹ 3.60 lakh

₹ 167

Cognizant (Programmer Analyst Trainee)

₹ 33,499

₹ 4.01 lakh

₹ 186

Wipro (Junior Member)

₹ 25,000

₹ 3.00 lakh

₹ 139

Assuming a standard 180-hour work month (9 hours/day, 20 days/month), the hourly earnings for these roles range from ₹139 to ₹186. These figures are shockingly low when you consider that they have remained largely unchanged since 2007-2010, when₹ 3.5 lakh per year was a competitive starting salary. Meanwhile, inflation has nearly doubled, and the cost of a B.Tech degree has surged from ₹1-2 lakh to ₹20-25 lakh over the same period. This means that graduates are investing significantly more time, effort, and money into their education, only to earn salaries that have not kept pace with economic realities.

In contrast, the profits of these IT giants have grown exponentially. For instance, companies like TCS have seen their profits soar from₹3,000-4,000 crore to ₹34,000 crore, an 8-10 fold increase. Yet, the starting salaries for fresh graduates remain stuck, highlighting a systemic issue of wage stagnation in the IT sector.


Urban Company Workers (Net Average Earnings After Expenses)

Let’s talk about the often-overlooked skilled workforce: plumbers, electricians, cleaners, massage therapists, pest control workers, beauticians, carpenters, etc. These individuals are often hired through platforms like Urban Company, which recently disclosed detailed earning reports as part of its IPO filings.

Details

Unit

All Professionals

>30 Services

/Month

Top 20% by Orders

Top 10% by Orders

Top 5%

by Orders

Percentage of monthly active service professionals

%

100

63

20

10

5

Gross earnings (average)

₹ per month

50,392

62,541

77,211

86,546

92,619

Urban Company fee %

%

27.95

27.29

27.39

26.93

27.07

Indirect taxes borne by professionals

₹ per month

479

644

651

721

785

Travel costs

₹ per month

1,852

2,417

2,848

3,211

3,541

Product & additional personnel costs

₹ per month

7,490

8,451

11,267

12,489

13,504

Net average earnings

₹ per month

26,489

33,962

41,292

46,815

49,719

Hours spent on the platform

hours per month

87

109

134

148

160

Net earnings per hour

₹ per hour

304

312

308

316

311

Yes, even the average service provider on Urban Company earns over ₹300 per hour, almost twice as much as a fresh B.Tech graduate.

Comparing Blue Collar Workers vs B.Tech Graduates – A Salary

Over the past 15–20 years, the starting salaries for B.Tech graduates at major IT firms like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and Cognizant have barely changed. Despite inflation doubling, education costs rising 4–5 times, and corporate profits growing by 8–10 times, fresh graduates still earn around ₹3 to ₹3.5 lakh per annum — the same as they did in 2007–2010.

On the other hand, blue collar workers — like electricians, plumbers, drivers, and salon professionals — especially those working with platforms like Urban Company, Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, and Ola, are now earning more than engineering graduates, both monthly and per hour.

Company / Category

Earnings per Hour (₹)

Monthly

Salary (₹)

TCS (Associate System Engineer)

156

28,072

Infosys (System Engineer Trainee)

167

30,000

Cognizant (Programmer Analyst Trainee)

186

33,499

Wipro (Junior Member)

139

25,000

Urban Company (Skilled Professionals)

311

49,719

Swiggy (Delivery Executive)

315

25,234

Zomato (Delivery Partner)

350

28,000

Uber (Driver)

331

29,732

OLA (Driver)

367

33,000

Urban Company’s average professional earns ₹311/hour, while even the top software firms offer just ₹156–₹186/hour. These skilled professionals — including plumbers, beauticians, pest control workers, carpenters, and massage therapists — often work 160 hours/month and earn up to ₹49,719 after deductions like taxes, commission, and material costs.

Back in 2007, a B.Tech student could recover their education costs in 2–3 years. Now, it can take 6 to 8 years, or more — assuming they get placed at all.

This isn’t just a salary comparison — it’s a reflection of India’s broken employment structure. Companies are capitalising on the desperate need for jobs, while skilled labourers in the gig economy are gaining financial independence faster and with fewer barriers.

Unless fresher salaries are revised in line with inflation and education cost, the engineering dream may soon lose its value — both emotionally and economically. The RoI are now against the students and in favour of the educational institutions and the companies that hire the freshers. The real losers are the students and parents. Would any one look at this and have the courage to correct this?

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Questions related to JEE Main

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to JEE Main ?

Hello Swati

Yes, your EWS certificate will be valid for JEE Main 2026 and counselling if it’s issued after April 1, 2025.
This is because EWS certificates are valid for one financial year from April to March.
So, a certificate made in October 2025 will be for FY 2025–26, which covers both JEE and counselling. You’ll need the certificate number during JEE registration in October 2025.
Even if you don’t have it yet, you can still register and upload it later during counselling. Just make sure the certificate clearly mentions the correct financial year.
Always keep a few extra copies and the original ready for verification.
You're good to go if it’s issued after April 1, 2025

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Hello,

The best books for JEE Main Exam are:

For PHYSICS:

  1. Concepts of Physics by H.C. Verma (vol1 &2)
  2. Complete understanding physics by D.C.Pandey
  3. Fundamental of physics by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker

For CHEMISTRY:

  1. NCERT Textbooks (class 11&12)
  2. O.P. Tandon
  3. J.D. Lee's Concise Inorganic Chemistry
  4. L.G. Wade Jr. Organic Chemistry

For Mathematics:

  1. mathematics by R.D. Sharma (vol 1&2)
  2. Higher Algebra by hall &knight
  3. S.L. Loney's Plane Trigonometry Part-1 and Plane Coordinate Geometry

you can also check the link for the best books for JEE Main exam:

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/best-books-for-jee-main

I hope this answer helps you!

Hello Hitesh

  • A state EWS certificate is usually not valid for JEE Advanced or JoSAA counselling.

  • You’ll need an EWS certificate in the central government format, as required by IITs.

  • Even if issued by your local authority, it must clearly mention it’s as per Govt. of India norms.

  • You can visit your tahsildar/revenue office and request it in the “central format for JEE.”

  • Make sure the issue date is after April 1, 2025, for it to be valid in 2026 counselling.

  • You don’t need it at the time of JEE Main, only during Advanced registration and JoSAA.

  • You still have enough time to get it updated, so no stress, just don’t delay it too long.

Hello,

Yes, there are some good residential schools in Tamil Nadu that provides both board studies along with best and strong coaching for JEE/NEET.

Here I list out best Residential integrated school in Tamil Nadu:

Vevea ham School Dhara Puram, Tirupur

Narayana Boarding School, Athipalayam (Coimbatore)

Chinmaya International Residential School (CIRS)

Sindhu Schools, Dhara Puram

From my opinion, you should visit and check their past records, fees, and see which one suits your needs best.

All the best.