India's billion-dollar software major Infosys Technologies has increased the salaries of its new recruits and is also in the process of giving up to 17 per cent salary hike to its employees.

The entry-level monthly salaries for freshers at Infosys have been raised by Rs 1,000 to Rs 15,000. Last year, entry-level salaries had not been increased by the company.

The IT giant had recently said that it would hike the salaries of its employees by about 17 per cent during 2004-05.

The company has also decided to increase its headcount by 8,000-10,000 on a gross basis where some recruitment would be at the lateral level, Infosys CEO and Managing Director Nandan Nilekani had told newspersons in New Delhi recently.

The company currently has more than 25,000 workers.

Infosys is planning to expand its global reach and thus needs more hands. It already has presence in China, Mauritius, Czech Republic, Canada and Toronto, among other places.