Software major Infosys added 2,689 professionals in the third quarter, the largest by the IT firm in a quarter, and plans to hire an additional 1,500 people by April this year.

The Bangalore-based IT bellwether hired 3,179 people, while about 490 people quit the organisation, a majority for better opportunities.

• Infosys Q3 net up 28% to Rs 328 crore
  

The net addition was 2,689 people, including over 2,100 freshers to reach a strength of 21,809 professionals, company officials said.

Progeon, the company's BPO subsidiary, reached a strength of 1,400 people as it hired 362 persons during the quarter.

Infosys', including its subsidiaries, aims to reach a total of 25,000 professionals with the addition of 1,500 it plans to hire by April.

"We will share our profits with our employees," Infosys CEO and Managing Director Nandan M Nilekani said, adding that the company faced pressure for hiring project managers with experience of three to five years, which foreign IT players in India were also tapping.

"Ours is an organic model of global delivery, while other (foreign) companies are attempting to reconfigure themselves," he said, about competition from foreign players in business.

"We know many of our employees who join these (foreign) companies and are treated as second class citizens, compared to their counterparts," Nilekani said.