India's global capability centre ecosystem could see between 25,000 and 30,000 job cuts this fiscal year as multinational companies restructure operations around artificial intelligence, automation and leaner workforce models, according to estimates from industry executives.
The reductions, however, are taking place alongside continued hiring. Industry estimates suggest GCCs could create around 150,000 new roles during the fiscal year, reflecting a shift in the type of talent these centres require rather than an across-the-board contraction in employment.
Pareekh Jain, CEO of market intelligence firm EIIRTrend, estimated that the potential cuts represent about 1% of India's GCC workforce. According to Jain, roughly two-thirds of the reductions are connected to global headcount restructuring as companies adopt leaner, AI-enabled operating models, while the remaining third is linked to weaker demand.
Estimates of actual job losses vary. Moneycontrol reported that Jain puts the figure at 25,000 to 30,000, while Sameer Dhanrajani of 3AI estimates 4,000 to 5,000 cuts. The difference indicates that there is no single consolidated industry-wide count for GCC job reductions this year.
The impact is also not uniform across the sector. Smaller GCCs focused on routine or commoditised work face greater pressure to consolidate or reduce operations, while larger centres handling technology, product development and specialised business functions continue to expand capabilities.
AI is also changing how new centres are being planned. Vikram Ahuja, co-founder of ANSR, said companies are recalibrating initial workforce plans by 30% to 50%. A centre that might previously have been designed for 5,000 employees could now be planned around a workforce of about 3,000 as AI enables teams to operate with fewer people.
At the same time, demand is moving towards more specialised skills. An analysis of GCC hiring found that demand for AI-related roles increased about 45% year-on-year, while nearly 65% of new positions now require AI skills. Hiring is increasingly concentrated around experienced professionals with expertise in areas such as AI, cloud, cybersecurity, platform engineering and data.
The numbers point to a changing workforce mix within India's GCC ecosystem. While automation is reducing demand for some repetitive functions, companies are simultaneously expanding teams responsible for AI, engineering, products and other higher-value global mandates.
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