Infosys To Open Design, Innovation Hub In​ Providence

PROVIDENCE, RI — Infosys plans to open a design and innovation hub in Providence, adding 500 hundred jobs over the next five years, Gov. Gina Raimondo and company President Ravi Kumar announced on Monday. This will be the third of at least four planned Infosys hubs in the U.S.

The information technology outsourcing company, based in Bangalore, India, pledged earlier this year to hire 10,000 Americans.

Infosys can qualify for an estimated $10 million in various state incentives, state officials said. The average yearly salary of the jobs in Rhode Island would be $79,000. Raimondo said jobs would be at every level, with and without a college degree.

"Five hundred good-paying jobs, well above the average salaries in Rhode Island," Raimondo said. "Good-paying, family-supporting jobs. I have a feeling there's much more in store. They're starting with 500, but it's on us to make sure they fall in love with Rhode Island."

Kumar said the company chose Rhode Island because of factors including its academic ecosystem and design focus, location near many of its clients in the northeast and economic incentives.

One of the world's most prestigious design schools, the Rhode Island School of Design, is located in Providence, but Kumar also cited the state's community college network and the University of Rhode Island and Brown University.

"Digital design is one of the most high-demand skills in the market," Kumar said.

He added that those skills are lacking in the United States and said Infosys plans to train workers to develop them through "a finishing school." Among the steps the company will take is to hire design students who are oriented to physical objects and train them with digital skills, Kumar said.

"We create talent pools which don't exist today," he said.

President Donald Trump has blasted an American visa program that tech companies have heavily relied upon to temporarily bring in workers from other countries at lower wages. Asked about that criticism and changes in federal immigration policy under the Republican president, Kumar said the program to train Americans and put workers closer to clients has been in the works for the last two years.

"You have to be closer to clients," he said. "When you design a digital experience, you cannot design in isolation. You have to design and co-create along with your clients."

The company already has 300 to 400 employees in Rhode Island, many of whom work with Citizens Bank, but Kumar said the 500 workers would be in addition to those and focused on design.

Infosys previously announced its first two hubs, focused on technology and innovation, will be located in Indiana and North Carolina. Kumar on Monday said the company is continuing to evaluate locations for the next hub but could eventually establish five.

Infosys said it employs more than 198,000 people worldwide.

By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press

Photo credit: Michelle R. Smith/Associated Press