BENGALURU, May 27 (Reuters) – For two decades, India’s dominance in global capability centres rested on a simple formula: skilled talent at scale, at low cost.
India is now the world’s largest GCC hub, with more than 2,100 centres employing 2.36 million people and generating nearly $100 billion in revenue, a 2026 Nasscom-Zinnov report said, adding the “workforce remains India’s greatest strength.”
There are not too many alternatives for companies,” said Lalit Ahuja, the CEO of ANSR, which helps global firms build and run GCCs.
But the model is shifting.
Executives say GCCs are no longer back-office support units but integrated hubs that mirror their parent companies. They manage various functions ranging from technology to product support and analytics to corporate affairs, and are increasingly judged on outcomes rather than cost.
At several firms, Indian centres now lead global programmes and handle end-to-end work, from product development to complex commercial and R&D processes. In some cases, work once anchored at headquarters is now owned and executed from India.
COST PRESSURES AND TALENT STRAIN
As GCCs move up the value chain, rising costs and talent shortages are testing the model.
Bengaluru, where most of the GCCs are located, faces civic constraints such as congestion and higher costs, as well as intense competition for talent.
Target executive Andrea Zimmerman described the battle for talent as “unreal”.
Demand for AI and machine learning skills is outstripping supply, fuelling wage inflation.
