Advertising
From Pink Slips to Silent Sidelining: Inside adland’s layoff and anxiety crisis
US firms add 60+ GCCs in India in 2025 as visa curbs reshape global hiring strategy
In 2025, the US administration raised H-1B visa application costs to $100,000 and restructured the lottery system to favour higher-paid and specialised roles. These measures have forced companies to reassess cross-border staffing models and accelerate local hiring in India.
US-headquartered companies significantly stepped up the pace of establishing Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India in 2025, adding over 60 new centres during the year, according to data from ANSR Research, as reported by Moneycontrol. The expansion represents a nearly 45 percent increase over 2023 levels and a sharp jump from around 43 GCCs set up in 2024, reinforcing India’s position as a strategic global hub for talent, engineering and innovation.
The momentum has been building steadily over the past three years. In 2023, an estimated 35 to 40 US companies had set up GCCs in India. By 2025, that number crossed 60, reflecting a structural shift in how global enterprises deploy talent and manage core business operations.
This expansion is closely linked to major changes in US immigration policy. In 2025, the US administration raised H-1B visa application costs to $100,000 and restructured the lottery system to favour higher-paid and specialised roles. These measures have forced companies to reassess cross-border staffing models and accelerate local hiring in India.
“Developments related to higher H-1B costs, potential tariffs on services and a probable HIRE Act impact have all influenced US companies to relook at their talent plans for India,” said Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, earlier to Moneycontrol.
The hiring push has been especially visible among large technology firms. It was previously reported that Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Alphabet collectively hired over 32,000 employees in India in 2025, an 18 percent year-on-year increase, taking their combined India workforce to approximately 214,000.
City-level data shows Hyderabad emerging as the top destination for new US GCCs in 2025, capturing 42 percent of new centres, followed by Bengaluru at 35 percent. Pune and Chennai accounted for 8 percent each, while Delhi-NCR and Mumbai together contributed about 5 percent. Tier-2 cities such as Ahmedabad, Trivandrum and Visakhapatnam together made up only 2 percent, indicating that scale continues to favour established hubs.
Sectorally, technology and software firms led with 35 percent, followed by BFSI at 20 percent, retail, CPG and restaurants at 15 percent, and healthcare and life sciences at 12 percent. Manufacturing and industrial firms, including semiconductor players, contributed 10 percent, signalling early diversification.
Looking ahead, ANSR projects 75–80 new US GCCs in India in 2026, implying another 25–30 percent growth if the upper forecast materialises.
SPOTLIGHT
From purpose-driven work and narrative-rich brand films to AI-enabled ideas and creator-led collaborations, the awards reflect the full spectrum of modern creativity.
Read More“Confusion creates opportunity for agile players,” Sir Martin Sorrell on industry consolidation
Looking ahead to the close of 2025 and into 2026, Sorrell sees technology platforms as the clear winners. He described them as “nation states in their own right”, with market capitalisations that exceed the GDPs of many countries.