India's third-largest software services exporter, plans to hike wages by up to 15 percent this year, the company said on Wednesday, in a move that would hurt operating margins.

The company plans to hike wages by 12 to 15 percent for its India-based staff and 3 to 4 percent for employees working at client locations, investor relations head Rajendra Kumar Shreemal told reporters after the company posted a nearly 14-percent rise in quarterly profit.

The company expects the IT budget of its clients to remain flat or rise in certain sectors, and is seeing a stable pricing environment for its outsourcing services, Chief Financial Officer Suresh Senapaty said.