State Policies Aim to Create Over 1.1 Million Jobs Through GCCs by 2031: CBRE
New Delhi, August 14, 2026: Multiple Indian state governments, driven largely by dedicated Global Capability Centre (GCC) policies, are aiming to generate more than 1.1 million jobs and set up over 1,300 new GCCs by 2031, according to the latest market report titled “The Policy Advantage: Powering India’s GCC Growth” released by real estate consultancy CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd.
States including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh have rolled out targeted GCC frameworks to draw institutional investment and speed up growth, while Tamil Nadu has introduced specialized employee incentives.
In addition, Telangana and Delhi have implemented broader regulatory frameworks to nurture local GCC ecosystems, while several other regions are formulating similar guidelines, with Kerala among those advancing draft GCC proposals. The policy push coincides with strong corporate real estate demand, as GCCs cumulatively leased over 123 million sq. ft. of office space across India’s top nine cities between 2022 and the first half of 2026. During this timeframe, the sector’s share of total national commercial office leasing expanded steadily from approximately 29% in 2022 to nearly 43% in H1 2026.
The expansion reflects broadening corporate utilization, with Technology firms accounting for 23% of total leasing, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) taking 22%, and Engineering & Manufacturing capturing 16%.
Highlighting the rapid regulatory evolution across states, Chairman & CEO – India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE Anshuman Magazine noted that state governments have acted with remarkable speed. “The speed at which state governments have moved to formalise dedicated GCC policies is unprecedented in India’s commercial real estate landscape,” said Magazine. “This reflects a broader recognition that these centres are no longer a peripheral component of India’s services economy, but a central pillar that states are actively competing to host, through targeted incentives, faster approvals and long-term infrastructure commitments.”
Under these policy frameworks, individual state targets contribute to a combined national goal of over 1,380 new GCCs and roughly 1.18 million new jobs between 2029 and 2031. Karnataka leads overall hiring ambitions with a target of 3.5 lakh additional jobs and around 500 new GCCs by 2029, followed by Maharashtra targeting 4 lakh jobs across roughly 200 centres by 2030. Rajasthan aims for over 200 GCCs and 1.5 lakh jobs by 2029, Gujarat targets 250-plus centres and 50,000-plus jobs by 2030, while Kerala’s draft framework targets about 80 GCCs and 1.6 lakh jobs by 2030. Furthermore, Haryana projects over 100 centres and 30,000-plus jobs by 2031, and Madhya Pradesh targets 50-plus units and 37,000 jobs by 2029.
Commenting on the real estate impact of these state-level policies, Managing Director, Leasing Services, India, CBRE Ram Chandnani emphasized the link between regulatory support and commercial office take-up. “State policy frameworks are increasingly translating into real, on-ground real estate demand,” said Chandnani. “As more states introduce dedicated capex support, payroll incentives and faster regulatory clearances, we are seeing this reflected directly in leasing activity. With states continuing to compete on execution speed and infrastructure readiness rather than incentives alone, we expect this policy-led momentum to further strengthen GCC leasing activity across both established and emerging markets in India.”
According to the CBRE report, national GCC office absorption remains concentrated across six primary metropolitan hubs. Bengaluru led the market by securing over 51 million sq. ft. of cumulative GCC leasing between 2022 and H1 2026, representing roughly 42% of India’s total GCC leasing. Hyderabad ranked second with over 24 million sq. ft. (about 20%), while Chennai, Delhi-NCR, and Pune each registered over 13 million sq. ft., contributing 10% to 11% apiece. Although Mumbai captured a smaller 4% national share with nearly 5 million sq. ft. leased over the same period, it established itself as the primary destination for BFSI occupants.
