AI Boom Set to Add 1.3 Million Jobs by 2030 – NLB Services

Emerging technology is reshaping the talent landscape in India’s Global Capability Centre

The GCC Hub

November 20, 2025 / 3 min read

AI has become mainstream, and with it, entirely new roles are emerging across GCCs

Global technology and digital talent solutions provider, NLB Services, has today unveiled its report “Workforce 2.0 Reset – India’s GCCs Go AI-Native”, highlighting in-depth insights on emerging technology reshaping India’s Global Capability Center (GCC) landscape, thereby bringing a paradigm workforce shift. With more than 58% GCCs moving beyond AI pilots, the workforce is projected to reach 3.46 million by 2030, adding 1.3 million new job roles. 

The report also estimates a significant impact in 2026 itself, indicating an 11% increase in jobs, thereby expanding personnel to 2.4 million in the sector. 

In 2025, nearly 70% of GCCs are already investing in Generative AI (GenAI), while over 60% will set up dedicated AI safety and governance teams by 2026. A remarkable 75% aim to embed GenAI in daily operations within the next year. These investments are not only driving efficiency but also reconfiguring roles. For instance, 27% of mid-level and 25% of junior tech roles are being redesigned as AI copilots and automation tools become mainstream.

Sharing his perspective on the report, Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services, said: “India is at a critical intersection in its GCC 4.0 journey, building a unique & unmatched synergy of scale, skill and talent. Today, GCCs are no longer just exploring AI – rather, many have or are moving towards deployment. While AI thrust in this sector was expected, this year has seen a stronger drive for implementation”. 

“This cements India’s move from delivery centers to AI-driven enterprises, marking a leap in innovation and governance. All of this has certainly brought new layers to the talent take-off we predicted at the onset of the year. GCC workforce projection by 2030, indicated earlier, is now set to see a 30% surge, adding 1.3 million new jobs,” Alug added.

As AI becomes mainstream, entirely new roles are emerging across GCCs, including Cybersecurity & AI Governance Architects (29%), Prompt Engineers (26%), GenAI Product Owners (22%), and AI Policy & risk strategists (21%), symbolizing India’s shift from execution to accountability and innovation-led leadership. Simultaneously, legacy roles such as L1 IT Support (75%), Legacy Application Development (74%), Manual QA (72%) and On-Prem Infrastructure Management (67%) are being phased out as GCCs modernize towards AI-native, product-oriented teams. 

With AI deployment further maturing, India’s GCC map is undergoing a major geographic shift, with Tier II and III gaining prominence. GCCs are inclining towards these belts to capitalize on the proposition of 10–12% lower attrition rates, 30–50% lower office costs and 20–35% talent cost advantages compared to Tier-1 metros. 

Varun Sachdeva, SVP & APAC Head, NLB Services, said: “By 2030, nearly 39% of the GCC workforce will operate from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, enabling our shift from metro-focused to a more distributed workforce model. While Tier-1 cities will continue to serve as centers for leadership, governance and R&D, emerging Tier-2 and Tier-3 hubs such as Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar are rapidly becoming specialized delivery centers. The new synergy across Tier II/III cities will create 0.715 M net new GCC jobs by 2030.”

“Workforce 2.0 Reset – India’s GCC Go AI-Native” report also signals that AI governance is rapidly institutionalizing across India’s GCCs. 33% have established central AI committees or CoEs, while 29% manage oversight through business units under audit and compliance frameworks. Delhi/NCR (39%) and Bengaluru (37%) lead with centralized governance models, reflecting higher maturity, while Hyderabad (35%) and Mumbai (34%) favor decentralized oversight, signaling a growing push for flexibility and autonomy.

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