By Bl Bengaluru Bureau
GCCs and startups are poised to lead the way in fresher hiring, driven by attractive salaries, career growth opportunities, and workplace flexibility, according to a Nasscom report. With average fresher salaries at GCCs exceeding 鈧5 lakh, well above the 鈧3鈥5 lakh range typically offered by IT services firms, these centres expect fresher hiring to surge by up to 50 per cent by 2030, increasingly tapping into talent from Tier 2 colleges as well.
According to Nasscom鈥檚 report, 鈥淭he Industry Ready Campus: Preparing Students for Tomorrow鈥檚 Careers,鈥 an emerging trend in the campus hiring ecosystem is the growing presence of GCCs and startups as recruiters. These organisations are actively seeking fresh talent to infuse new ideas and enhance agility, particularly in areas focused on innovation and emerging skills such as data science and artificial intelligence (AI).
For GCCs, campus hiring serves a dual purpose: supporting expansion efforts in India and contributing to cost optimisation and the development of a balanced organisational structure. Notably, this recruitment activity is no longer confined to premier institutions; Tier II colleges are increasingly becoming part of the hiring landscape, reflecting a broader approach to talent acquisition.
The trend of fresher hiring in GCCs is expected to gain momentum, as 64 per cent of GCCs in India foresee up to a 20 per cent increase in fresher hiring in 2025, with 9 per cent anticipating a rise of over 50 per cent.
By 2030, 42 per cent of GCCs expect fresher hiring to grow by more than 50 per cent. This highlights the increasingly crucial role freshers are set to play in driving innovation and growth within India鈥檚 GCC ecosystem.
Alongside, 78 per cent of recruiters in India now prioritise skills over formal qualifications, with GCCs and IT firms leading this transition at 85 per cent and 71 per cent, respectively.
Achyuta Ghosh, Senior Director & Head, Nasscom Insights, commented, 鈥淭he growing presence of GCCs and startups on campuses, the shift in emphasis from degrees to demonstrable competencies, the rise of industry-validated certifications, and the increasing importance of hands-on internships and innovation-driven learning鈥攁ll signal a systemic recalibration in how institutions prepare students for professional success. In embracing these shifts, academia is no longer positioned merely as a responder to industry demand, but rather as a proactive partner in the co-creation of talent.鈥
The report also observes that GCCs in India are increasingly leveraging internships as a strategic tool to assess potential full-time hires. Interns are onboarded through a selection process that evaluates their grasp of core programming fundamentals and emerging technologies, as essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Startups also offer interns greater flexibility to work on real-world projects, giving them a chance to experiment, innovate, and demonstrate their capabilities in line with the company鈥檚 needs. This exposure allows startups to closely evaluate both technical proficiency and adaptability to fast-paced environments. As a result, internships have become a powerful early-stage talent assessment strategy for both GCCs and startups.
Published on July 2, 2025