India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) sector is on track to generate between 1 million and 1.4 million additional jobs by 2031, driven by dedicated state policies that are reshaping the country’s commercial real estate and talent landscape, according to recent industry reports.
A CBRE South Asia report titled “The Policy Advantage: Powering India’s GCC Growth” found that seven Indian states, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, have introduced dedicated GCC policies and are collectively targeting around 1,380 new GCCs and approximately 1.18 million jobs by 2031. Separate NLB Services research, published in the Workforce 2.0 Reset report, projects the GCC workforce to add roughly 1.3 million new roles by 2030, bringing the total to 3.46 million.
“The speed at which state governments have moved to formalise dedicated GCC policies is unprecedented in India’s commercial real estate landscape,” said Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO, India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE.
Karnataka is targeting around 500 new GCCs and 3.5 lakh jobs by 2029, while Maharashtra is aiming for roughly 200 centres and 4 lakh jobs by 2030. Rajasthan plans to add more than 200 GCCs and 1.5 lakh jobs by 2029, Gujarat more than 250 centres and over 50,000 jobs, Kerala about 80 GCCs and 1.6 lakh jobs, Haryana more than 100 centres and over 30,000 jobs, and Madhya Pradesh more than 50 centres and about 37,000 jobs.
GCCs leased more than 123 million sq. ft. of office space across India’s top nine cities between 2022 and the first half of 2026, and their share of total office leasing rose from about 29% in 2022 to around 43% in H1 2026, the CBRE report said. Sector-wise, technology accounted for 23% of GCC leasing, followed by BFSI at 22% and engineering and manufacturing at 16%.
The latest Nasscom-Zinnov India GCC Landscape report places the ecosystem at 2,117 centres in FY2026, employing about 2.36 million professionals and generating USD 98.4 billion in revenue.
“As more states introduce dedicated capex support, payroll incentives and faster regulatory clearances, we are seeing this reflected directly in leasing activity,” said Ram Chandnani, Managing Director, Leasing Services, India, CBRE.
For HR teams, the projected expansion signals continued pressure on specialised AI, data engineering, platform and cybersecurity talent pools, and reinforces the shift of GCC hiring beyond traditional tier-I metros into emerging locations.
