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Based on a survey of 100 GCC leaders, executive interviews and market data, the report found that 92% of surveyed leaders had moved beyond selective AI adoption, but realised productivity gains remained below 15%.
AI-led automation, slower backfilling and consolidation of roles are expected to moderate demand for routine jobs by 400,000-500,000. However, expansion of existing mandates and new GCC setups could generate 1.2-1.5 million jobs, while AI-led role creation could add around 300,000, more than offsetting the impact. Existing GCCs are expected to account for about 80% of incremental workforce additions.
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“AI is reshaping GCCs from delivery centres into strategic capability hubs. India’s opportunity is to turn AI adoption into measurable business value, driving demand for specialist talent and supporting continued workforce and office growth through 2031,” said Aravind Maiya, CEO and co-founder of Embark.
Demand is expected to shift towards specialists in AI, data, platform engineering, cybersecurity, solution architecture and governance. India’s AI-specialist talent pool could reach 800,000-900,000 by 2031. Meanwhile, 71% of surveyed leaders expect their centres to assume broader functional ownership, while 15% anticipate global leadership roles moving to India.
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The report estimates that around 3,144 viable Global 5000 companies have yet to establish an India GCC, potentially translating into 590-640 new centres by 2031. Mid-market companies could account for about 28% of new setups, including through smaller “Nano GCCs” employing 5-100 specialists.
Tier 1 cities are expected to attract about 90% of new centres, with Bengaluru and Hyderabad currently accounting for 67% of Tier 1 GCC leasing.
BFSI and technology, media and telecom (TMT) are projected to account for around 54% of incremental office demand. Workplace planning is also expected to shift towards collaboration, with shared and collaborative spaces rising from 27% to 55% of workplace allocation by 2031.