New Delhi, Oct 15 : India's global capability centres (GCCs) have witnessed a steady 5-7 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) rise in hiring activity in the second quarter of the current fiscal (Q2 FY26), a report said on Wednesday.

The quarter reflected a continued focus on building capability rather than expanding headcount, with most demand stemming from AI and data, platform engineering, cloud and financial operations (FinOps) and cybersecurity roles.

"Sectors like BFSI, Manufacturing, Automotive, Energy, Technology and Hardware have become the main pillars of GCC growth, led by AI-enabled credit and risk operations in BFSI, EV and smart-factory programs in manufacturing, semiconductor and embedded AI development in the technology segment," Quess Corp, a staffing and workforce solutions company, said in its report.

According to the report, hiring budgets are now focused on revenue-critical and resilience-focused functions, creating steady demand for platform engineering, data management, and FinOps roles that support these programmes.

Bengaluru-led GCC hiring in the July-September period with a 26 per cent share, followed by Hyderabad (22 per cent), Pune (15 per cent) and Chennai (12 per cent).

Bengaluru saw strong traction in advanced AI and FinOps roles, while Hyderabad gained momentum in multi-cloud integration and data reliability, the report highlighted.

'India's GCC evolution is entering its most strategic phase yet, one defined by precision, not proliferation. Q2 reflected a measured 5-7 per cent QoQ hiring growth, highlighting a shift from scale to capability-led maturity, with AI, FinOps, and platform reliability emerging as core priorities, said Kapil Joshi, CEO'IT Staffing, Quess Corp.

Roles in AI and Data Science saw an 8 per cent uplift, and FinOps-driven cloud hiring rose 6 per cent, underscoring enterprise focus on performance and cost optimisation, he added.

India currently hosts around 1,850 active GCCs and employs over 2 million professionals, and the ecosystem is on track to reach 2.5 million by 2030.

The report noted that sustainable growth will depend on strengthening tier-2 delivery, investing in skill development, and embedding capability-based operating models across centres.

/IANS