US-listed IT (information technology) major Cognizant Technology Solutions, which has a significant workforce in India, is said to be reducing its employee count by as much as five per cent. Typically, the bottom one per cent of the workforce is weeded out for non-performance, a common practice across IT firms as part of the annual appraisal exercise that ends in March.

But as the company is shifting its focus from traditional IT services to digital, Cognizant is reportedly looking ahead at trimming its workforce in larger number by doing away with redundant roles. Globally, the ...