India’s Global Capability Centers are experiencing a fundamental shift. Rather than eliminating positions, artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented workforce expansion across the country’s tech ecosystem.
The Growth Story
By 2030, India’s GCC sector will add 1.3 million new jobs, bringing total employment to 3.46 million professionals. In the next 12 months alone, AI adoption is expected to increase the workforce by 11%, bringing the total to 2.4 million employees. This challenges the widespread narrative that AI primarily destroys jobs.
The country now hosts approximately 1,800 GCCs employing 2.16 million professionals, with at least one new center opening every week throughout 2024 and 2025. This momentum reflects India’s position as the world’s second-largest AI talent hub after the United States.
Moving Beyond the Big Cities
A significant geographic shift is underway. By 2030, nearly two out of five GCC employees will work from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, moving away from traditional metro concentration. These smaller cities offer compelling advantages: office costs run 30-50% lower, attrition rates drop by 10-12%, and talent expenses decrease by 20-35% compared to major metros.
Cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad will continue to anchor strategy and innovation, while emerging hubs will handle scalable operations and specialized delivery.
The Talent Challenge
Despite rapid growth, talent gaps persist. The steepest shortages appear in core operations roles and leadership positions, not AI-specific positions, as many might expect. Mid-level technical roles face the most immediate transformation, with 27% undergoing redesign for automation and AI integration.
Attrition and wage inflation in AI-related roles top the list of disruptions facing GCC leaders, putting pressure on them to balance cost advantages with talent retention.
New Roles Emerging
The fastest-growing positions reflect a shift toward governance and trust. AI Governance Architects and Prompt Engineers drive demand growth, while legacy roles such as IT support technicians and manual QA testers are being phased out. This signals India’s evolution from a back-office hub to a center for responsible AI deployment.
About 58% of GCCs have moved beyond pilot projects, though only 13% have fully embedded AI into daily workflows. The gap between experimentation and institutional integration represents the sector’s next frontier, requiring deeper investment in change management and AI ethics frameworks.
