The Rs. 650 crore that looked like a mistake.
Written on 16 October 2026, based on public reports at that time.
TCS announced its quarterly results last week.
Nearly six lakh employees. 17 million learning hours in three months. Over 4,000 people added in the quarter.
One line from the CFO stayed with me. The company had kept a bigger bench, people on payroll waiting for projects. At the same time, it increased hiring of subcontractors for near-term skill needs.
Subcontractor costs went from 5.9% of revenue to 6.8% in one quarter. On this quarter’s revenue, that gap is roughly Rs. 650 crore.
My first reaction was simple. What a waste.
Then I saw another number in the same results. Attrition was 13.3%. More than one in eight people left in the last twelve months.
Now think like an owner. You hire someone full time for a niche skill. You train them for six months. They leave, and the skill walks out with them.
A good consultant takes that risk off your table. No bench cost when the work dries up. No single employee the business depends on. A fixed salary becomes a cost that stops when the job stops.
I see both versions in mid-sized businesses. One firm calls a consultant in a panic because the only person who knows the plant costing is on leave. It pays three times the rate and learns nothing. Another uses the same consultant on purpose, with a contract that says every working is documented and handed back. Same bill. Very different outcome.
So do this before the next quarter starts. List the ten skills your business cannot run without. Against each, write who can do it today.
Own the skills your clients see every day and the ones that hold your know-how. Rent the ones that are niche, seasonal or changing fast. When you rent, make documentation and handover part of the deal, so the knowledge stays even when the person leaves.
Renting a skill is a strategy. Renting it in a panic is a bill.
Which skill in your business would you rather rent than own?
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