Trump’s policies drive rise in GCC hiring, expansion in India

With many multinational corporations strengthening their presence in India following US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a heavy fee for new H1-B visas, hiring in Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the country has increased by 5–7 per cent in the second quarter of the financial year.

According to a report by Quess Corp, a staffing and workforce solutions firm, GCC hiring recorded a 7 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth, with a sharper focus on roles in AI and data, platform engineering, cloud and financial operations (FinOps), and cybersecurity. The report noted that companies are prioritising capability building over mere headcount expansion.

In late September, Trump announced that the cost of new H-1B visa applications would rise to $1,00,000, up from the existing $2,000 to $5,000. The move has added pressure on firms that rely on skilled foreign workers to fill critical talent gaps. Indian IT professionals have been among the hardest hit, as the steep hike makes relocating to the US an expensive move. 

However, many multinational corporations have taken a different approach, choosing to shift parts of their operations to regions with readily available and more affordable talent. GCCs, offshore subsidiaries of large corporations that manage specialised business functions, have emerged as a key part of this strategy.

"Earlier, companies used to outsource their work to countries where labour was cheap, such as India. That model was profitable then," said an executive at a leading international firm. "But over time, the work became more collaborative, and the expansion of cloud services has made it possible for teams to work seamlessly from anywhere. This has enabled the growth of GCCs in the last four to five years," he added. 

He further stressed that Trump’s new policies have only accelerated this trend, as many companies were already looking to expand their global footprint. He also pointed out that the severe talent shortage in the US is forcing firms to rethink their strategies, with access to high-quality labour becoming increasingly expensive.

India has emerged as a reliable alternative, offering a vast pool of skilled professionals at comparatively lower costs. Even before Trump’s steep hike in H-1B visa fees and his proposed plan to prioritise higher-paid applicants, India was projected to host GCCs for more than 2,200 companies by 2030, with the sector’s market size expected to approach $100 billion.

India currently hosts around 1,850 active GCCs and employs over 2 million professionals, and the ecosystem is on track to reach 2.5 million by 2030.

The official further added that several leading US and European companies are planning to expand their operations in India. "Not only in the US, but many European firms are also on this path," he said.

According to the Quess report, sectors such as banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), manufacturing, automotive, energy, technology, and hardware have become the key pillars of GCC growth in the country. This expansion is being driven by AI-enabled credit and risk operations in BFSI, EV and smart-factory initiatives in manufacturing, and semiconductor and embedded AI development in the technology segment.

Bengaluru-led GCC hiring during the July–September period with a 26 per cent share, followed by Hyderabad (22 per cent), Pune (15 per cent), and Chennai (12 per cent). Bengaluru witnessed strong demand for advanced AI and FinOps roles, while Hyderabad saw rising momentum in multi-cloud integration and data reliability functions.