The collective headcount of the top eight IT companies fell 17,534 in the quarter ended December 31 compared with the previous three months, according to data compiled by Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm. Compared with a year earlier, the staff count at these companies - Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, LTI Mindtree, L&T Technology Services, Tech Mahindra and Cognizant's India business - were down by 75,000, the sharpest fall in at least six years.
