Emerging cities see 42 pc growth in GCC jobs, outpacing metros: Report
New Delhi, May 26
Emerging cities in India are emerging as the next growth hubs for global capability centres, recording a 42 per cent rise in GCC job openings compared to 19 per cent growth in metro cities, driven by improving infrastructure, supportive government policies and the growing role of artificial intelligence, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The report, titled Emerging Cities: India's Next Frontier for GCC Expansion Report 2026, released by ANSR, said India is witnessing a structural shift in its GCC landscape as enterprises increasingly look beyond traditional metro locations to build distributed and resilient operations.
According to the report, the transformation is being powered by six converging factors, including a rebalancing of talent geography, rapid infrastructure development, a more favourable policy environment and the growing adoption of AI technologies.
Emerging cities are benefiting from significant investments in transport and business infrastructure through budget allocations, Special Economic Zone (SEZ) expansions, metro rail projects and airport modernisation programmes.
The report noted that the Union Budget 2025 has further accelerated this transition through the introduction of a national guidance framework aimed at creating GCC-ready ecosystems outside major metropolitan centres.
It described the initiative as the first coordinated government-backed effort to promote GCC expansion into Tier-2 cities.
AI is also playing a critical role by reducing the capability gap between Tier-1 and Tier-2 locations, enabling companies to establish high-value operations across a broader geographic network.
This is creating new opportunities for enterprises to develop distributed delivery models without compromising on capabilities, the report said.
ANSR, which specialises in establishing and scaling GCCs, assessed 14 emerging locations -- GIFT City, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mysuru, Thiruvananthapuram, Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Bhopal and Warangal -- on parameters including talent attractiveness, infrastructure readiness, business and regulatory environment, and quality of life.
The report highlighted that India currently hosts more than 1,900 GCCs employing over 2.1 million professionals and contributing more than 1.5 per cent to the country's GDP.
"Emerging cities are no longer alternatives to Tier-I metros. They are strategic complements within a more resilient and diversified operating model," said Smitha Hemmigae, Managing Director, ANSR.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The 42% growth figure is impressive, but I worry about the infrastructure keeping up. I'm from Kochi and while we have great tech parks, the traffic is already becoming a nightmare. The government needs to invest in public transport and urban planning *before* the companies arrive, not after. Otherwise, we'll just recreate the same problems as metros.
As someone working in a GCC in Bangalore, this makes a lot of sense. Companies are finally realizing that talent isn't just concentrated in a few cities. I've seen colleagues move back to their hometowns like Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam because of remote/hybrid options. The AI angle is interesting too - if automation can bridge the skills gap, these cities could really boom.
Happy to see cities like Lucknow and Bhopal on the list. For too long, North India has been neglected in the IT boom. But let's be honest - the biggest challenge is the talent pool. Colleges in these cities need major upgrades to produce industry-ready graduates. Otherwise companies will just set up shop and then complain about lack of skilled workers.
This is a global trend we're seeing too in the US - secondary cities becoming tech hubs. India is smart to push this early. The 1.5% GDP contribution from GCCs is already massive, and if Tier-2 cities can capture even a fraction of that, it could be transformative for regional economies. Just hope the quality of life focus (noted in the report) actually translates to real improvements.
My daughter just got a placement in one of these GCC
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