India GCCs Set to Add Up to 1.4 Million Jobs and Drive Massive Office Space Demand by 2031, Reports Embark
Bengaluru, October 24, 2026: Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India are projected to expand their workforce from approximately 2.3 million employees to 3.3–3.7 million by 2031, adding 1–1.4 million net jobs and generating 150–170 million sq. ft. of incremental office demand, according to a press release by Embark detailing its report titled India GCCs in the AI Era: Implications for Workforce Growth and Office Demand.
The findings indicate that artificial intelligence will reshape workforce composition, mandate nature, and workplace requirements. AI-led productivity gains are expected to coexist with continued workforce and office-space growth, driven by deeper mandates at established centres, new GCC formations, and demand for specialist capabilities.
Based on a survey of 100 Indian GCC leaders, executive interviews, and market data, the report evaluates how AI adoption, evolving business priorities, and changing workplace models will influence the ecosystem through 2031. While 92 percent of surveyed leaders report moving beyond selective AI adoption, realized productivity gains remain below 15 percent. Meanwhile, 71 percent expect their centres to take on broader functional ownership, and 15 percent anticipate global leadership roles moving to India. Existing GCCs are expected to account for around 80 percent of incremental workforce additions.
“AI is reshaping GCCs from delivery centres into strategic capability hubs. India’s opportunity is to turn AI adoption into measurable business value, driving demand for specialist talent and supporting continued workforce and office growth through 2031,” said Aravind Maiya, CEO and Co-founder, Embark.
Automation, slower backfilling, and role consolidation are expected to moderate demand for routine roles by 0.4–0.5 million. However, the expansion of existing mandates, new GCC setups (1.2–1.5 million), and AI-led role creation (around 0.3 million) will offset this impact. Demand will shift toward specialized capabilities in AI, data, platform engineering, cybersecurity, solution architecture, governance, observability, and domain-specialist roles, potentially bringing India’s AI-specialist talent pool to 0.8–0.9 million by 2031.
Approximately 3,144 viable Global 5000 companies have yet to set up an Indian GCC, implying 590–640 new setups by 2031. Tier 1 cities will anchor this growth, taking about 90 percent of new setups, with Bengaluru and Hyderabad currently holding 67 percent of Tier 1 GCC leasing. Additionally, collaboration and shared spaces are projected to increase from 27 percent to 55 percent of workplace allocation by 2031. The BFSI and TMT sectors account for about 54 percent of incremental office demand, while Retail/CPG is projected to grow at a 17–21 percent CAGR.
