Now Reading: States target 1.38 lakh GCC jobs by 2031
-
01
States target 1.38 lakh GCC jobs by 2031
Indian states are collectively targeting about 1,380 new global capability centres (GCCs) and creation of roughly 1.18 million jobs by 2031, according to a CBRE South Asia report. Karnataka leads with a target of 500 new GCCs and 3.5 lakh jobs by 2029, while Maharashtra aims for 200 GCCs and four lakh jobs by 2030. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have also set targets ranging from 80 to 250 GCCs.
The report came as Charles Schwab announced it will scale its Hyderabad GCC to 2,000 employees by 2027, focusing on engineering, cybersecurity and AI. Separately, an EY analysis noted that India already has over 1,800 GCCs employing more than two million professionals. However, the EY report said Tier-2 cities offer cost and attrition advantages only for standard roles, while scarce skills such as AI and advanced engineering command national or global compensation, limiting the scope of state policy targets.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The three sources report on India's GCC story but at different levels. The CBRE report (SOURCE-1) takes an official, state-as-actor framing, leading with aggregate policy targets and real estate data, giving a neutral-report but government-adjacent view. The EY report (SOURCE-2) is more analytical, focusing on talent dynamics and the limits of cost advantage in Tier-2 cities, implicitly criticising a one-size-fits-all policy push. The Times of India article (SOURCE-3) is a straight corporate announcement about one firm's expansion, avoiding any policy lens. The divergence reveals a gap: policy targets are optimistic, but actual talent distribution and compensation premiums for scarce skills mean the 1.18-million-job goal depends heavily on the kind of roles created. A careful reader should note that state policies are a necessary condition, not a sufficient one: the next test is whether Tier-2 cities can deliver for non-routine tech roles. Watch for which cities announce actual hiring numbers, not just targets, by end-2025.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
