India's technology employment sector is witnessing a historic power shift. Traditional giants like Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Wipro are no longer the undisputed top employers. That crown has been taken by Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which are expanding their workforce at a dramatically faster pace, according to a report highlighted by The Economic Times.
GCCs Drive Explosive Hiring, Reshape Office Demand
The data reveals a stark contrast in growth. GCCs are increasing their headcount in India by a robust 18% to 27% year-on-year. In comparison, the hiring growth at large IT services companies is a modest 4% to 6%. This surge is creating approximately 300,000 new jobs every year, as per insights from staffing firm TeamLease Digital.
This transformation is directly influencing the country's tech landscape and commercial real estate. With over 1,700 GCCs now operating in India, their current workforce stands at about 1.9 million people. This number is projected to swell to 2.8 million by 2030, solidifying India's position as a premier global talent hub.
The financial muscle of these centres is equally impressive. A government note indicates that GCC revenues have jumped from $40.4 billion in FY2019 to $64.6 billion in FY2024. The entire ecosystem is on track to hit a market size of $105 billion by the end of this decade.
AI Talent at the Core of GCC Expansion
The nature of work at GCCs is evolving rapidly. They are moving beyond traditional execution and support roles to take charge of global AI strategy and product innovation. This shift is creating a massive demand for specialized skills.
A report by ANSR and Wizmatic details that GCCs in India employ over 126,600 professionals in AI-aligned roles. Within this pool, more than 18,300 are core AI experts working in cutting-edge fields like machine learning, deep learning, Large Language Model (LLM) engineering, MLOps, and Generative AI platform development.
The report highlights a crucial multiplier effect: for every core AI specialist hired, GCCs deploy an additional 5 to 6 professionals in software engineering, data engineering, and platform operations to support AI development and scaling.
Reversing the Brain Drain with High-Impact Work
One of the most significant outcomes of this GCC boom is a reversal in India's long-standing brain drain trend. The concentration of AI talent in the country has grown by an astonishing 252% between 2016 and 2024, a rate that is now 2.5 times higher than the global average.
Senior AI professionals are increasingly choosing to build their careers in India. The primary reasons are compelling: GCCs now offer high-impact, strategic work, competitive global compensation, and the opportunity to solve complex, world-scale AI problems without leaving the country. This retention of top-tier expertise is fueling a virtuous cycle of innovation and growth within India's tech ecosystem.
The rise of GCCs marks a new chapter for India's tech workforce, moving the country higher up the global value chain from service delivery to strategic innovation and ownership.
