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




