GCCs vs IT services: How India's GCCs are rewriting the talent story

India's GCC boom is reshaping careers with demand for AI, cloud, and digital roles. IT services still scale with volume, but talent strategies now diverge sharply.

- By Andrew Simoes

If jobs were music, GCCs swapped elevator tunes for a live DJ set. That's how the hiring scene in India feels today. For decades, IT services set the beat - mass hiring, predictable roles, and a focus on delivery at scale. Safe, reliable, and efficient. But GCCs have stepped in and changed the vibe completely. They're chasing talent that can do more than just keep the lights on; they want people who can build what's next.

India now proudly calls itself the “GCC Capital of the World.” The numbers are staggering: 1,700+ centres, nearly 1.9 million people employed, and revenues touching USD 64.6 billion in 2024. By 2030, this could grow to over 2,100 centres and as many as 2.8 million employees, with revenues of USD 99-105 billion. And it isn’t just about size - it's about momentum. In 2024-25, GCCs hired over 100,000 professionals, compared to 90,000 the year before.

Two years in a row now, they've beaten IT services in net new hiring (NASSCOM-Zinnov).

The GCC India Talentscope Survey 2025 shows AI and ML topping the demand charts 68% of financial services GCCs and 55% of IT/tech GCCs call it their number one hiring priority.

DIFFERENT TALENT NEEDS