Prime Highlights-
- India hosts nearly half of the world’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs)
- The country ranks second globally for enterprise AI talent
Key Facts-
- GCCs in India have grown from a handful two decades ago to over 2,000 today, employing more than 2 million people
- Revenue from the sector has crossed $60 billion and is heading toward $100 billion
Background-
India now hosts roughly half of the world’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and ranks second globally for enterprise AI talent, Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran said.
Speaking at the CII GCC Business Summit, Nageswaran looked back at how far the sector has come in twenty years.
“Two decades ago, we had a handful of back offices. Today, it is more than 2,000 such centres, and they employ more than 2 million professionals,” he told the gathering.
Employment across these centres is now nearing 2.3 million, he said, and revenue has already crossed $60 billion, with the sector heading toward $100 billion.
Nageswaran noted that Indian GCCs have moved far beyond routine back-office work.
Many now handle research, product development, and advanced technology projects for global companies, including work tied to artificial intelligence.
The change reflects a bigger shift in India’s place in global business. For years, companies mainly used India to cut costs. Now they’re setting up teams there to handle serious technical and strategic work. Companies are no longer just cutting costs.
They are hiring engineers, analysts, and AI specialists to run core parts of their operations from India.
The growth isn’t confined to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune anymore. Firms are increasingly setting up in smaller cities to access talent that isn’t already in high demand elsewhere.
The government has signalled it wants this growth to continue, calling GCCs a major source of jobs and a boost to India’s standing in global tech.