India’s global capability centres (GCCs) are set to create around 500,000 non-tech jobs by 2028, with digitally enabled business functions emerging as a major growth engine alongside technology, according to a new report by workforce solutions firm Quess Corp.
The report, titled India’s GCC Non-Tech Talent Landscape, found that sales operations, finance and business operations together account for over 60% of non-tech GCC demand. The nature of these roles is shifting, with business functions increasingly requiring digital platforms, analytics, automation and AI-enabled ways of working. Demand for non-tech GCC roles grew 17.2% year-on-year in the first half of 2026.
Mid-level talent remains at the centre of hiring. Professionals with 7 to 12 years of experience made up nearly 60% of non-tech GCC demand in 2025, a segment growing at a three-year CAGR of 21% to an estimated 2.5 lakh in 2026. The report attributes this to the rising need for professionals who can handle process ownership, stakeholder management and transformation delivery.
The report projects that growth between 2026 and 2028 will be defined by capability-led hiring rather than volume, with business operations and transformation remaining the primary driver, alongside finance, sales and marketing, supply chain and procurement, HR, and research and analytics.
Bengaluru continues to anchor the ecosystem with nearly 25% of total non-tech demand in the first half of 2026, followed by Delhi at 12%, Mumbai at 10%, Hyderabad at 9% and Pune at 7%. Emerging locations and Tier-II cities now account for nearly 35% of non-tech GCC demand. Pharma and healthcare led demand for these roles, followed by BFSI and technology and product, driven by requirements around governance, analytics, compliance and transformation.
“India’s GCCs are entering their most consequential decade yet, because AI is changing what these centres are built to do. By 2028, the centres that lead won’t be the ones with the largest headcount, but the ones that have fused domain expertise with AI-enabled decision-making across every function,” said Kapil Joshi, CEO of IT Staffing at Quess Corp.
India hosts more than 1,700 GCCs employing over 1.9 million people, a base that industry body Nasscom and consulting firm Zinnov project could rise to 2,100 to 2,200 centres by 2030.
