Generative AI (Gen AI), Platform Engineering, and Cybersecurity skills are highest in demand among Indian global capability centers (GCCs) with up to 32 per cent annual growth, according to a latest report titled ‘India’s GCC Tech Talent Landscape 2024’ by Quess IT Staffing.
Analysing over 300,000 aggregated data-points in the last year, this report explores India’s rise from a delivery destination to a nucleus of innovation, powered by AI, cloud-native infrastructure, and cybersecurity, highlighting pivotal shifts in hiring, skill demand, and compensation trends across GCCs in India. The report underscores India’s accelerating momentum as the world’s top talent hub, driven by advanced digital transformation, AI adoption, and cloud evolution.
India is now home to over 1,800 GCCs, with more than 120 new centers launched in 2024, reflecting a 17 per cent YoY workforce growth and 1.8 lakh new jobs added. By 2030, India’s GCC market is projected to grow to USD 99-105 billion, with a workforce exceeding 2.4 million professionals.
Bengaluru dominates strategic hiring in Defense, BFSI, and Construction; Hyderabad surges in Healthcare and AI-led roles. With GenAI leading the growth with 32 per cent annual growth, especially across BFSI and retail sectors, other high-growth sectors include:
● Platform Engineering & SRE – 26 per cent
● UI/UX Design – 25 per cent
● Cloud & Infrastructure Engineering – 14 per cent
“India’s GCCs are no longer just delivery hubs—they are innovation powerhouses. The pivot toward AI-first, cloud-native, and cyber-resilient ecosystems marks a strategic inflection point for the industry. We foresee talent investments focusing on capability depth, building capacity, digital-first mindsets, and tier-2 city expansion.
“As organizations shift to capability-driven talent models, there is emphasis on a growing demand-supply gap in emerging tech roles, alongside rising compensation premiums for niche skills. Roles in GenAI, FinOps, and Zero Trust are redefining hiring priorities, while tier-2 cities emerge as critical growth engines. Demand isn’t disappearing. It’s evolving,” said Kapil Joshi, CEO, Quess IT Staffing.
Key sectors driving demand include BFSI, Retail & Ecommerce, Telecom, and Manufacturing, all of which are rapidly deploying AI, Cloud, and IoT at scale.
With increasing focus on cost agility and talent diversification, GCCs are expanding into tier-2 cities like Kochi, Coimbatore, Indore, and Jaipur, targeting operations-led and mid-tier engineering roles. These locations are gaining traction for domain-specific talent, particularly in governance, risk and compliance (GRC), Cloud Support, and MedTech.
Despite a booming ecosystem, the report flags notable supply gaps in roles like: Cloud FinOps Specialists (45 per cent gap), AI Observability Engineers (35 per cent), and Blockchain Developers (30 per cent). Compensation is following suit, with AI & Data Science engineers now commanding 25–40 per cent salary premiums. Cloud Security, Zero Trust, and FinOps roles also see up to 50 per cent higher pay due to scarcity and global competition.