Ayushman Baruah
Bengaluru, Nov 18: India continues to be the hub for global capability centres (GCCs) as multinationals are increasingly setting up their tech hubs in the country driven by the availability of technology and skilled talent.
According to Nasscom, India has emerged as a global leader in GCCs attracting multinational corporations from Japan, the UK, the USA and Germany. With over 1,800 GCCs and a workforce of 5 million technology professionals, India provides a skilled talent pool, cost efficiencies and cutting-edge R&D in AI, IoT, cloud computing and automation.
Recently, The Standard, a leading US-based provider of insurance, retirement and investment products, launched StanCorp Global Services India Pvt Ltd (The Standard India), a new GCC in India.
“The Standard India will generate high-value job opportunities, support the company’s technology transformation, drive innovation and fuel ongoing growth,” the company said in a statement, adding that Mohua Sengupta has been appointed senior vice president and country head for India.
“I am delighted to join The Standard during this exciting time of rapid growth. The Standard India will provide access to specialized global talent here in India who will deliver more efficient solutions for current and future customers, and scale more sustainably,” said Sengupta.
The Standard India will initially be staffed by 175 Allstate India Private Limited employees who become full time employees of The Standard India. These employees joined the company following The Standard’s acquisition of the Allstate Employer Voluntary Benefits business on April 1, 2025.
Last month, General Mills India Center, inaugurated a new satellite office in Pune spanning 5,500 sq. ft., to support increasing business demands and will house employees from the Digital & Technology function, a vital pillar of the company’s global innovation and growth strategy.
Some prominent companies that have established their GCCs in India in 2025 include: AstraZeneca, Carlsberg Group, Eli Lilly, Ferguson, Heineken and First Citizens, among others.
According to NLB Services’ latest report titled “Workforce 2.0 Reset – India’s GCCs Go AI-Native”, with more than 58% GCCs moving beyond AI pilots, the workforce is projected to reach 3.46 million by 2030, adding 1.3 million new job roles. The report also estimates a significant impact in 2026 itself, indicating an 11% increase in jobs, thereby expanding personnel to 2.4 million in the sector.
In 2025, nearly 70% of GCCs are already investing in Generative AI (GenAI), while over 60% will set up dedicated AI safety and governance teams by 2026. A remarkable 75% aim to embed GenAI in daily operations within the next year. These investments are not only driving efficiency but also reconfiguring roles. For instance, 27% of mid-level and 25% of junior tech roles are being redesigned as AI copilots and automation tools become mainstream.
Sharing his perspective on the report, Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services, said, “India is at a critical intersection in its GCC 4.0 journey, building a unique and unmatched synergy of scale, skill and talent. Today, GCCs are no longer just exploring AI – rather, many have or are moving towards deployment. While AI thrust in this sector was expected, this year has seen a stronger drive for implementation. This cements India’s move from delivery centers to AI-driven enterprises, marking a leap in innovation and governance. All of this has certainly brought new layers to the talent take-off we predicted at the onset of the year. GCC workforce projection by 2030, indicated earlier, is now set to see a 30% surge, adding 1.3 million new jobs.”
As AI becomes mainstream, entirely new roles are emerging across GCCs, including Cybersecurity & AI Governance Architects (29%), Prompt Engineers (26%), GenAI Product Owners (22%), and AI Policy and risk strategists (21%), symbolizing India’s shift from execution to accountability and innovation-led leadership. Simultaneously, legacy roles such as L1 IT Support (75%), Legacy Application Development (74%), Manual QA (72%), and On-Prem Infrastructure Management (67%) are being phased out as GCCs modernize towards AI-native, product-oriented teams.
India’s GCC ecosystem has also reached a defining point – where leadership readiness for AI is now the true differentiator. Hyderabad and Bengaluru lead this shift, with 70% and 69% of GCCs showing strong AI leadership maturity in both vision and budget ownership. These hubs aren’t just adopters but are instead shaping the global playbook for scaling AI. This leadership momentum is mirrored across industries where AI has become central to competitiveness. Telecom & Internet Services (70%) and BFSI & Fintech (69%) lead in strategic clarity, while Software & Consulting (65%) and Media & Gaming (67%) show robust budget commitment.
