Job Openings in Indias Healthcare GCCs Set to Reach 67,000 by 2026

New Delhi, October 23 (Daily Kiran) : India’s healthcare Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are projected to experience a remarkable 93% increase in job openings, reaching approximately 67,000 by 2026. A recent report highlights a significant demand for professionals with 3 to 12 years of experience.

According to the report from Quess Corp, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be the fastest-growing sector within healthcare GCCs. Its integration into clinical, research and development (R&D), operations, and product workflows could see its presence rise from about 60% of current centers to between 80% and 90% by 2030.

Kapil Joshi, CEO of Quess IT Solutions, noted that hiring nearly doubled last year, with a 150% increase in demand for AI and data talent since 2023. Despite this growth, a significant challenge remains: a shortage of qualified talent.

Currently, the healthcare GCC ecosystem in India comprises 155 organizations employing approximately 320,000 professionals. The nature of recruitment is shifting from traditional support roles to specialized fields such as AI, data analytics, clinical research, and regulatory affairs.

The report also points out a growing talent gap in these sectors, where the availability of professionals struggles to meet recruitment needs. Positions related to data, analytics, and AI are expected to surge by 147.3%, increasing from 1,781 to 4,404 roles between 2023 and 2026. The demand for regulatory, quality, and compliance positions has more than doubled to 6,147, while roles in R&D, clinical development, biometrics, and statistics have risen by 82.5% to reach 5,421.

Despite a workforce of around 320,000 professionals, the availability of specialized talent remains limited. The supply-demand ratio for areas like data, analytics, and AI, as well as market access and patient services, stands at just 1.6:1, compared to a total workforce to annual demand ratio of 4.8:1.

Due to a low demand for fresh graduates, experienced professionals dominate hiring trends. Of the total 67,000 job openings, approximately 38,391 are for individuals with 3 to 7 years of experience, while 23,856 positions are reserved for those with 7 to 12 years of experience.

In the second quarter of 2026, entry-level hiring is expected to decline by 12.4% year-over-year, even as overall hiring demand rises by 6%.

Bengaluru and Hyderabad remain the focal points of India’s healthcare GCC ecosystem, accounting for 62.2% of the current workforce and 58.4% of the projected hiring demand in 2026. Bengaluru leads with 109,000 professionals and a demand for 23,600 positions, primarily driven by technology, digital health, AI, and medical device engineering sectors.