Now the powerhouse of IT and retail sector is not China but India. India has created history in this matter. According to a report by TeamLease Digital released on July 8, India has become the world's largest hub for retail and FMCG Global Capability Centers (GCCs). There are 180 GCCs in which approximately 272,300 professionals work. The report said that the country's retail GCC market is now 34 percent larger than the combined markets of Poland, Philippines, Mexico, Germany and Egypt. India is also ahead of its peers in terms of adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI usage in the retail GCC workforce is 5-7 percent. This puts it ahead of all other major markets included in the report, including Germany.
TeamLease Digital CEO Neeti Sharma said in a Moneycontrol report that the pace of growth of retail GCC in India has accelerated. Not only American retailers, but a large number of European companies are also coming to India. We are also seeing good demand from Japanese and South Korean retailers. Sharma said that India's attractiveness is not limited only to its large number of skilled talent. Business-friendly policies, tax incentives, low cost of infrastructure and government support have also encouraged multinational companies to start their operations in the country.
Of the 180 retail and FMCG GCCs in India, about 130 are Nano GCCs, each typically employing 200-250 people. These centers are spread across Bengaluru, Mumbai, National Capital Region, Pune and Hyderabad as well as Tier-II and Tier-III cities like Mangaluru. With the advent of new GCCs, it is expected that about 60-70 percent of the existing Nano Centers will expand their workforce and operations in the next few years. Major retail and FMCG GCCs operating in India include Lowes, Tesco, H&M, Walmart Global Tech, Target, L'Oréal and AB InBev.
As retail GCCs expand, the demand for professionals with artificial intelligence and machine learning skills is increasing rapidly. Despite the rapid adoption of AI, India currently has only about 320 professionals with more than eight years of AI experience across its 180 retail GCCs. This means that on an average there are less than two senior AI specialists in each centre. Bengaluru accounts for 54 percent of the retail GCC AI talent pool and remains a core center for advanced global projects. Hyderabad is emerging as the strongest secondary hub for AI talent, while Pune is developing as a collaborative engineering centre.
According to the report, hiring demand in retail GCCs is set to nearly double between 2024 and 2025, creating more than 52,000 job opportunities last year. Currently, technology, customer success and supply chain functions account for approximately 60% of the retail GCC workforce. It is expected that by 2028, together they will generate more than 80 percent of the hiring demand. The demand for technology and engineering roles alone is projected to increase from approximately 25,100 positions in 2025 to 41,000 by 2028.
Sharma said that professionals with core AI and technology skills are getting salaries that are 50-60 percent more than similar traditional roles. According to the report, more than 90 percent of the 28,500 professionals hired by retail GCCs last year came from outside the industry. Of these, the contribution of IT service firms was 17.5 percent, followed by product companies at 14 percent and consulting firms at 10.5 percent. Due to this reduction, the salary has also increased significantly. The median salary of AI and machine learning professionals with three to six years of experience is Rs 46 lakh—almost double the market median—while those with six to ten years of experience earn Rs 68 lakh. The report says that senior professionals with more than 15 years of experience and expertise in AI and retail domain skills can earn Rs 1.2 crore more annually.
