Infosys to open second technology and innovation hub in US, to create 1,000 jobs

India's second largest IT services company, Infosys, on Thursday said it will open its next technology and innovation hub in Hartford, Connecticut, US, and hire 1,000 American workers in the state by 2022.

The Connecticut hub will have a special focus on insurance, healthcare and manufacturing verticals, the company said in a statement.

“This investment will further strengthen our ability to serve clients’ needs throughout the New England region and expand the local workforce to help our clients compete in the rapidly digitizing insurance, healthcare and manufacturing sectors,” said Ravi Kumar, president, Infosys.

In May last year, the IT major had said that it would hire 10,000 American workers over the next two years, and build four such hubs across the country. Last week the company inaugurated first of these hubs in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is planning two more in Raleigh, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island.

For the Bengaluru-headquartered Infosys, 60 percent of the revenue comes from the United States. The recent move follows the Trump administration’s tightening of the H-1B visa rules and the American president’s call to “buy American, hire American”. H-1B visa norms used principally by Indian IT companies have come under fire, and the Trump administration has been trying hard to restrict issuance of these visas for highly-skilled workers and higher minimum wages for visa-holders.

It’s not only Infosys, other software majors have taken similar steps as well. Last year, Wipro hired more than 1,600 people in the North American country.