India GCCs Slow Hiring as AI Reshapes Work
Global firms are scaling back recruitment targets for India capability centers as automation and geopolitical uncertainty alter workforce plans, ANSR CEO Lalit Ahuja tells Reuters
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Global companies are cutting hiring plans for their India capability centers by 30% to 50% as geopolitical uncertainty and artificial intelligence reshape workforce needs, ANSR founder and Chief Executive Officer Lalit Ahuja told Reuters.
Some firms that had planned to hire more than 5,000 people for global capability centers, or GCCs, are now looking at about 2,000, Ahuja said.
ANSR helps multinational companies set up and run such centers, and counts FedEx, Target and Lowe’s among its clients.
“There is a sense of cautiousness,” Ahuja told Reuters. “Companies are hiring fewer people, just as a matter of abundant caution.”
India hosts more than half of the world’s GCCs, which multinational companies use to run technology, finance, engineering and other high-value operations.
The country’s appeal has rested on its large skilled workforce, lower costs and expanding capacity to support complex global work.
That advantage is being tested as companies deploy AI to automate some roles and rethink the type of work handled by offshore centers.
Ahuja said near-term hiring by large GCCs remains subdued, with growth likely to come from new entrants.
India had 2,117 GCCs across 3,728 units in FY26, employing about 2.36 million people and generating $98.4 billion in revenue, according to a Nasscom-Zinnov report released this month.
The number of centers has grown 32% since FY21, with about 506 Forbes Global 2000 companies operating centers in the country, the report said.
Companies are moving toward a staffing model built around a stable core workforce and a flexible pool that can be expanded or reduced based on demand, Ahuja said.
