Mid-market global capability centres (GCCs) are expected to add 40,000 jobs in the country by the end of 2026, taking their total headcount to over 260,000, showed data sourced by ET from ANSR, which helps set up these centres.Over 120 new mid-market GCCs are expected to be established over this period, led by software, banking, finance and accounting, insurance, and retail industries.Hiring would be focused in key hubs like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Gurugram, said Smitha Hemmigae, managing director of ANSR.Key tech skills they are looking to hire for are AI/ML engineering, data analytics, cloud engineering, cybersecurity, full-stack development, product management, and solution architecture. Non-tech skills in demand include finance and accounting, supply chain, procurement and digital marketing.鈥淭heir catchment pool of talent is from GCCs, startups, product companies and the top 8鈥10% of the service provider landscape, who could become a site leader for a mid-sized company,鈥 Hemmigae said.Mid-sized GCCs, which operate under greater cost constraints than their larger peers, are unlikely to poach talent from large tech multinationals in the country, she said.Cost and time-to-market are top of mind for these GCCs in their digital transformation journeys.Between 2019 and 2024, talent in mid-market GCCs grew 46% compared to 34% for non-mid-market GCCs, ANSR data showed.The firm defines mid-market GCCs as those established by companies with revenues between $300 million and $2 billion.Year-on-year, consulting firm Zinnov sees hiring in the mid-market segment growing 1鈥2% higher than the sector average at about 10鈥12%.ETtech
This segment currently employs over 220,000 professionals. It’s seen as a key driver in the next wave of adoption of the GCC model.Though these centres are leaner, they are hiring more niche skills compared to their larger counterparts and emerging as deeptech talent hubs.Mid-market GCCs have about one and a half times higher share of talent across areas like AI/ML, cybersecurity, cloud, and data science, as per a Nasscom-Zinnov report. For instance, their share of AI/ML talent is at 23% compared to 16% for non-mid-market GCCs.Modernisation and platform engineering charters are becoming key for this segment to stay relevant, said Namita Adavi, partner-GCCs at Zinnov. This is driving the need for niche digital capabilities out of India.鈥淵ou need this talent to be agile, to adapt very quickly to what the customer needs,鈥 she said. 鈥淭o scale, let鈥檚 say, mid to senior talent in AI and cybersecurity is very cost prohibitive for a mid-market company in any other location, especially headquarters.鈥滺owever, this segment may face challenges in attracting the right talent, according to Srikanth Srinivasan, vice president and head鈥搈embership and outreach at Nasscom.This is because the mid-sized companies are 鈥渃ompeting with behemoths鈥 and may not always be well-known brands in the country if they鈥檙e not doing business here, he said.