If you are a fresh graduate dreaming of landing a job at one of India’s Global Capability Centres, the ground has shifted under your feet. New hiring data released this week shows India’s GCCs are paying record premiums for AI and cybersecurity talent while quietly shrinking the share of freshers they bring on board. It is a split labour market: big money for specialised skills, fewer open doors at the entry level.
India now hosts more than 1,800 GCCs, the offshore tech and business centres of global giants, employing millions of professionals. And the way they hire is changing fast. According to hiring data from jobs platform foundit cited in industry reports this week, the share of entry-level professionals in GCC recruitment has fallen from 42 percent to 30 percent, while professionals with four to six years of experience now make up 34 percent of hires, up from 26 percent earlier.
The message is blunt. Automation is eating routine work, and companies would rather pay a premium for people who can build and deploy AI systems than train freshers from scratch.
AI specialists are commanding up to 40 percent pay premiums
The most striking numbers in the data are the salary premiums. Industry estimates suggest GCCs already pay 15 to 30 percent more than traditional Indian IT services companies for comparable roles. For specialised AI, cybersecurity and engineering talent, the premium climbs far higher.
According to TeamLease Digital, specialised technology professionals can earn 30 to 40 percent more than peers in comparable roles, particularly when they have the expertise to deploy AI at scale and deliver measurable business outcomes. The gap is widest in the roles every company is chasing: AI architects, machine learning engineers, data scientists and cloud specialists.
The company’s Digital Skills and Salary Primer for FY2026-27 puts hard numbers behind the premium. A GenAI developer earns about Rs 11.2 lakh per annum at 0 to 2 years of experience, rising to Rs 34.5 lakh at 6 to 8 years. A data engineer moves from Rs 9.1 lakh to Rs 29.6 lakh across the same bands, while a technical support engineer earns Rs 5.2 lakh rising to Rs 14.6 lakh. In other words, AI-core skills roughly double the pay of support roles at the same experience level, and the gap is set to widen.
Why freshers are losing ground
The decline in fresher hiring is not about fewer jobs overall. GCC hiring in India stood at 4,54,110 jobs in 2025 and is projected to reach 5,10,452 jobs in 2026, a 12 percent rise, as per foundit data shared with industry media. Through June 2026, the centres had already recorded 2,27,991 hires, with June hiring 11 percent higher than June 2025. Jobs are growing. They are just going to experienced professionals.
Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, said mid-to-senior professionals accounted for over 77 percent of GCC hiring in FY26, compared with 60 percent in 2023. “AI is reducing demand for routine coding roles while increasing demand for AI architects and specialised engineers. Freshers will continue to find opportunities, but practical, job-ready skills will matter more,” she said.
- The experience mix shift: entry-level share in GCC hiring down from 42 percent to 30 percent; the 4 to 6 year band up from 26 percent to 34 percent.
- The talent gap: a 53 to 60 percent shortage in GenAI and cloud skills; only about 16 percent of IT professionals currently hold AI skills.
- The volume: GCC hiring is still growing 12 percent year on year, with over 5.1 lakh jobs expected in 2026.
What this means for job seekers
For students and early-career professionals, the takeaway is uncomfortable but clear: a degree alone no longer opens the door. GCCs increasingly want job-ready skills from day one, particularly in AI, cloud, data and security.
Upskilling, internships with real production work, and portfolios that prove you can build and run AI systems matter more than certificates. As Sharma put it, using AI tools is now the baseline; what the market rewards is the ability to build, run and govern AI in production.
FAQs
What are Global Capability Centres?
They are offshore tech and business centres that global companies operate in India, handling software development, engineering, analytics, finance and customer operations for their worldwide business. India hosts over 1,800 of them.
How much more do GCCs pay for AI talent?
According to TeamLease Digital, specialised technology professionals can earn 30 to 40 percent more than those in comparable roles. GCCs broadly pay 15 to 30 percent above traditional Indian IT services companies.
Are freshers still being hired at GCCs?
Yes, but in a smaller share. The entry-level share of GCC hiring has fallen from 42 percent to 30 percent, with demand concentrated on mid-to-senior professionals with 4 to 15 years of experience.
Which skills have the biggest talent shortage?
GenAI and cloud face a 53 to 60 percent talent gap, while cybersecurity faces a 25 to 30 percent gap. Only about 16 percent of IT professionals currently hold AI skills.
India’s GCC story remains one of the strongest job engines in the country. But the engine now runs on specialised fuel, and the earlier you start building AI-ready skills, the larger your share of the premium.
