The Data Playbook: Are GCC Lobbyists Controlling the Narrative & shaping Choices?

“Hyderabad has around 17% of the country’s digital and tech talent, 10% of finance and accounts talent, and 13% of business operations talent are based in the city”.   (Source: A leading consulting firm) 

“The Gender Gap in GCCs: Women Hold 6.7% of Executive Roles”.  (Source: A leading consulting & advisory firm) 

“Global roles within GCCs are expanding rapidly, expected to grow from currently 6,500 to over 30,000 by 2030”.  (Source: Industry Body) 

“Women in global leadership are projected to grow from 900+ to over 4,000, marking a substantial shift in diversity and inclusion”.   (Source: A leading global management consulting firm)  

“Bengaluru houses 35% of India’s BFSI GCCs and 26% of active jobseekers with skills in demand”. (Source: Top Economic Survey) 

These statements, fueled by reports or surveys from leading GCC advisory firms and consulting agencies, appear definitive—crisp, precise, and certain. Yet, where is the validation? Who verifies these numbers? Are they hard facts or just convenient trends framed as certainties?

Despite their confident tone, these reports lack transparency in methodology, raising critical concerns: 

• Where does this data originate?  

• What validates its sanctity or source?  

• Is the narrative shaping the data, or is the data shaping the narrative? 

• Are these reports genuine insights, or merely tools for self-branding?      

Data Sanctity: A Conveniently Missing Element  

The core concern with these reports is their lack of verifiable and census data sources. While reports claim exact figures —the reality is starkly different: 

• No official platform provides comprehensive and definitive data on GCCs across various metrics, including actual headcounts, workforce ratios, and precise employment statistics. 

• Even the Registrar of Companies (RoC) does not maintain detailed, publicly available records on GCC-specific data insights.   

Yet, reports frequently present precise figures, creating the illusion of structured, validated research. Instead of objective research, these reports engage in narrative-building—an orchestrated cycle where:  

This process creates an impression that certain cities must dominate the GCC landscape, ignoring broader economic and infrastructural realities.  

 The Role of GCC Advisory along with the Media Firms in Narrative Engineering  

Many times, data is biased, with media—often funded or influenced by state governments and advisory firms—playing a crucial role in maintaining the status quo.

• Leading newspapers and digital platforms push selective GCC research findings without critical scrutiny.  

• Reports published in financial dailies reinforce pre-existing biases, making alternate narratives nearly invisible.  

• The collusion between competing state governments, advisory firms, and media outlets ensures that alternate narratives never gain traction.  

The Over-Concentration Crisis of GCCs 

The over-reliance on a few cities for GCC expansion has led to a host of systemic challenges: 

1. Infrastructure Strain – Cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are struggling to keep pace with the rapid surge in corporate migration. Beyond traffic congestion, a leading city, for instance, faces severe water shortages and housing crises, making large-scale business operations increasingly unsustainable.   

2. Competitive Compensation Spirals – The bargaining power of talent in overconcentrated hubs has surged due to multiple job opportunities, leading to inflated salary expectations. This, in turn, increases operational costs for companies, making long-term talent acquisition and retention increasingly challenging.     

3. Productivity Decline – A shorter employee lifecycle, congestion, an employee-driven market, abundant opportunities, and infrastructure strain contribute to lower efficiency and higher operational costs.   

4. Skewed Global Perception– The overconcentration of GCCs in a few cities has skewed how global headquarters perceive India’s talent market. With inflated salary benchmarks and recurring hiring challenges, parent companies are now questioning whether India can sustainably provide talent at scale, leading to growing interest in alternative destinations.    

5. Remote Work Boom – Rising congestion, infrastructure strain, and high living costs have accelerated remote and hybrid work adoption. Yet, GCCs must still maintain large office spaces while managing the challenges of a fragmented workforce, affecting collaboration and efficiency.    

6. Political and Economic Instability – The disproportionate growth of select states has created an imbalance, leading to political frictions as some states assume disproportionate economic influence.   

7. Negative Organizational Experiences – Companies expanding into over-saturated markets face logistical nightmares, including real estate shortages and bureaucratic delays.    

8. Loss of Competitive Edge – Organizations operating in over-concentrated talent markets are unable to sustain an advantage, both in hiring and retaining key talent.    

9. Delayed Hiring Cycles – The talent demand-supply gap makes on-time recruitment increasingly difficult, reducing GCC effectiveness.     

10. Regulatory and Labor Law Challenges - Due to excessive opportunities, some states have imposed rigid labor laws and local hiring mandates, creating regional frictions based on language and territorial preferences, further complicating GCC expansion. 

The Overlooked Potential of the Certain Pockets of the Country  

A paradox persists: if a significant share of Bengaluru’s workforce comes from other regions, why aren’t GCCs expanding there? Cities like Delhi NCR, Noida, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Vijayawada, and Jaipur present strong alternatives with distinct advantages:

• Planned Infrastructure – Many of these cities have well-structured urban frameworks, reducing congestion and improving efficiency. 

• Cost Efficiency & Strategic Location – Many cities offer lower operational costs and unique strategic advantages. For example, Delhi’s proximity to key policymakers enhances business influence, while cities like Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar offer cost-effective setups. Notably, Silicon Valley of India lacks a U.S. consulate office, which can be a logistical challenge for companies with global operations. 

• Abundant Native Talent Pool – A strong native/local workforce minimizes attrition and relocation challenges. 

• Presence of Premier Institutions – Some of the cities house top-tier educational institutions, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled graduates for GCC roles. For instance, Delhi NCR has 4–5 IITs within a 200–300 km radius. 

Yet, GCC investments continue to bypass these high-potential regions, even as talent and infrastructure align in their favor. Gurugram, India’s second-largest startup hub, once attracted some of the earliest multinational setups but is now conspicuously absent from most GCC expansion discussions. Similarly, while Mumbai and Delhi still lead in company registrations, recent GCC expansions have pivoted elsewhere.   

 The Erased History of Leading Locations as a GCC Hubs  

Historically, Delhi-NCR was a prominent GCC hub alongside Bengaluru. Today, it finds itself slipping off the radar of most GCC expansion reports. According to the data on the top six preferred cities for setting up Global Capability Centers—Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi-NCR. 

While The question is about the legitimacy of these locations but what about the mechanisms driving these decisions. Many state-backed advisory firms with vested interest that have mushroomed in recent years, influencing decision-making processes and funneling GCC investments into specific clusters rather than encouraging a balanced, data-driven approach. 

The Future: Correcting the Imbalance and better-informed choices 

With the 2025 Budget now released, India has a crucial opportunity to reassess its GCC landscape. Early indicators point to emerging hubs like Chennai, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Chandigarh gaining traction. 

To sustain long-term GCC momentum, India must:  

1. Encourage the voluntary expansion of GCCs into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, ensuring choices are driven by strategic feasibility rather than external influence.   

2. Recognize the right time to scrutinize advisory firms' data through a critical lens, ensuring transparency and objectivity.   

3. Implement an industry-led independent audit system to verify GCC data and narrative-driven policy decisions.    

Conclusion: Challenging the Manufactured Narrative 

GCC advisory firms and state-backed reports have shaped a biased expansion narrative, favoring select cities while ignoring challenges and alternative hubs. These reports aren’t objective research—they are tools that manipulate market sentiment.

For India’s GCC growth to be sustainable, decision-makers must question data authenticity, demand transparency, and push for equitable expansion. Without this shift, overburdened cities will face worsening crises, while high-potential regions remain overlooked. 

The real question is: Will global companies follow the old script or drive the change?