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In India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) landscape, Bengaluru continues to dominate the salary charts, with top offers exceeding ₹50–60 lakh per annum for niche roles—driven by mature talent pools and deeper role specialisation—according to a report by staffing and workforce solutions provider Quess Corp. 

In the first quarter of FY26, salary growth across the GCC sector showed signs of stabilising after last year’s sharp 20–35% surge in premium roles, the report noted. Skilled roles such as security architecture, FinOps (cloud financial management) and AI observability saw a more moderate 3–5% increase in salaries, reflecting a broader market correction. 

“On the compensation front, the market showed signs of stabilisation. Top offers in metros continue to exceed ₹50-60 lakh for niche skills, underscoring the intensity of competition for high-end talent,” Kapil Joshi, CEO, Quess IT Staffing said in the report. He further pointed out that the challenge lies in the widening gap between demand and supply. In domains such as AI, data science, and platform engineering, the talent shortfall remains significant, ranging from 25% to over 40% depending on the role.

The report highlighted that during the first quarter of FY26, India’s GCC sector saw a 8%-10% rise in hiring volumes as against a 3%-6% decline in the fourth quarter of FY25, signalling a renewed market confidence and skill-focused recruitment.

With changing business dynamics, companies are actively seeking professionals who bring expertise in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data engineering. “High-growth sectors like BFSI, manufacturing, automotive, and technology hardware have seen a 16-20% rise in demand, largely fuelled by AI adoption and automation initiatives,” Joshi noted.

Today, there is a clear shift from hiring for volume to hiring for advanced skills. However, tier-2 cities continue to lag behind, as pipelines for advanced AI and cybersecurity talent are still developing.

Geography-wise, Bengaluru retained its position as the key hub for GCCs, particularly in AI, product engineering and strategic R&D. However, cities such as Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai outpaced it in quarterly growth rates, backed by their expanding cloud, data, and automation clusters. 

Data shows that tier-1 cities are likely to remain centres for high-priority, innovation-led mandates, while tier-2 cities will scale rapidly for cost-sensitive, modular, or support-driven roles.

However, despite rising demand, tier-2 GCC hubs continue to face talent crunch in complex roles such as cloud-native engineering, GenAI, zero-trust cybersecurity, UX research and others. For every 6-10 open roles in these domains, only one qualified mid-senior profile is typically found, the report added.