A return to India need not cost you seniority. Avinash explains India's growth in global capability centres and the four questions that show whether a senior role there fits you.
A return to India need not cost you seniority. Avinash explains India's growth in global capability centres and the four questions that show whether a senior role there fits you.
Avinash speaks directly to senior NRIs who are holding back on moving back to India because of their career. He describes the old deal: you move for your family, but your career pays the price, with a smaller title, a smaller paycheck and sometimes work below the level you reached abroad.
He says that deal has changed. He cites about 350 senior professionals who had worked more than 10 years in the US and returned to India in 2023, and about 2,400 in 2025. That is seven times the earlier figure in two years. His point is that homesickness did not grow seven times in two years, so something else must have changed.
He names two causes. The first is the uncertainty many professionals on US visas face. The second, which he calls the most important, is that the jobs waiting for them in India have become better. For a wider view of job search, salary and timing, read the NRI career return to India guide on job search, salary and timing.
Avinash explains that a GCC, or global capability centre, is a global company's own team in India. It is not an outsourcing company or an IT services firm doing work for someone else. It is the company's own team building its own products, technology and business. He compares it to an American bank, a car manufacturer or a pharmaceutical company with thousands of its own employees in Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Pune.
The scale is large. He says India has more than 2,000 GCCs, employing about 2.36 million people, and that more than 500 Forbes Global 2000 companies have their GCC operations in India. He describes the sector as expanding rapidly.
On revenue, he says the industry expected annual revenue of $100 billion by 2030. The 2026 figure of $98.4 billion is essentially meeting that milestone four years early, and the projections he cites show rapid expansion until 2030. For a broader view of GCC roles next to startups, MNCs and US-remote work, see jobs for returning NRIs across GCCs, startups, MNCs and US-remote roles.
Avinash describes the older model: head office decides what gets built, India builds it, head office makes the critical decisions, and India executes. He says that model still exists, but it is no longer the whole story.
He cites the latest data showing that 50% of GCCs now do advanced work at the level of their head office or beyond. He also cites a figure that 96% of GCCs set up since 2021 have a product or portfolio mandate. In his view, those centres were established with ownership in mind, and they work on products, AI, engineering and research.
AI is part of the shift. He says about 1,200 GCCs have AI or ML capabilities, employing around 250,000 AI professionals. His conclusion is that the question is not whether you can find a job in India, but whether you can find a role that matches the level you reached abroad. For many professionals, he says, the answer is yes.
Avinash says that as of 2024, more than 6,500 global leadership roles were in India's GCCs. He also says more than 7,000 people who had lived abroad and worked more than 10 years joined the top 125 GCCs at mid or senior level. Of those, 2,800 came from the US and 800 from the UK.
He says international experience is in demand. A professional with more than 10 years abroad brings technical skill, a decision-making process, a feel for culture, global communication and an understanding of what customers in the US and Europe need. He adds that such a person also understands India, which makes the profile well suited to these positions.
On pay, he says GCCs pay 15 to 20% more than IT services companies, and 71% of GCCs have long-term incentive plans such as ESOPs and RSUs. These are the figures discussed in the video, and this is general information, not personal tax, legal or investment advice.
The first question is whether your work has a place in these centres. If you work in product, R&D, data analytics, engineering, design, AI or cybersecurity, Avinash says the answer is most likely yes.
The answer is not limited to technology. He says many manufacturing companies hire senior professionals for global operations, supply chain and quality. He is more cautious about customer-facing roles, sales and roles with very local compliance, which he says are rare. For a closer look at non-technical careers, read whether moving back to India is a smart career move for non-IT NRIs.
His test is simple. Open LinkedIn, search for your exact title in Hyderabad or Bengaluru, and see which of the companies hiring for it are global. If the title exists, you are clear. If you only find roles two levels below yours, he says that tells you something.
The second question is whether your current employer already operates in India. Avinash points to the more than 500 Forbes Global 2000 companies that have operations there. If your company is one of them, he says an internal transfer is simpler than finding a new job.
He lists several advantages. Your company already knows your work, and your manager can vouch for it. You might keep the same role when you move back. The salary might change, because each company has its own policy, so he suggests quietly checking with HR or a senior professional you trust.
He frames the outcome simply. In the worst case, you understand the policy. In the best case, you avoid the full job hunt and transfer internally. He also suggests asking which roles are available in India and how the internal transfer works.
India is not one single market, Avinash says. He gives approximate GCC unit counts of about 1,080 in Bengaluru, about 515 in Hyderabad and about 490 in Delhi NCR. He adds that Pune and Chennai also have many GCCs.
The right city depends on your field. He gives Rohan as an example. Rohan spent seven years in Sweden in the EV industry and found opportunities in Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra and Chennai. A search limited to Bengaluru might have missed them.
The city also affects rent and schools, so Avinash asks viewers to make a conscious decision for both career and family. If you want to know which neighbourhoods and schools suit a specific city, and what other returning members are doing there, he points to Inner Circle, the private WhatsApp community for NRIs and returnees.
In a typical GCC, you sometimes collaborate with teams in the US and Europe. That can mean calls in the evening and sometimes late at night. For some people this is completely fine. For others it does not work, and Avinash says that defeats the purpose of moving back to India.
His advice for the interview is to ask precisely. Do not simply ask whether there is an overlap with teams abroad. Ask for the actual times when the team overlaps, so you have what you need to decide. He says that if you get three yeses, he would start the conversations while you are still employed abroad.
Avinash says applying through job portals is much harder than it looks, and that some recruiters hesitate to hire people who have not relocated yet. His suggestion is to message the hiring managers or HR people in your industry directly. For more on the search itself, see the return to India job search plan and interview timing.
Keep the message short and cover these points:
He says the last point is important. A hiring manager who receives a message from someone abroad wonders whether that person is serious or just exploring. Giving a specific month and year answers that question.
When an offer comes, Avinash says to check two things first. The first is CTC, and he says CTC is not your salary. CTC is the cost to company, and it includes PF, gratuity, variable pay and insurance. Check your fixed salary and your monthly take-home pay.
The second is stock. If you are moving within your company, ask whether unvested RSUs continue to vest. If it is a new company, ask about the grant and the vesting schedule.
Indian salary is only half of the decision, he says. The other half is what you have built abroad, including 401(k)s, IRAs, brokerage accounts and property, which also affect the decision, especially when tax residence changes. If you have an offer to discuss, he invites viewers to book a 1:1 quick call with Avinash. This is general information, not personal tax, legal or investment advice.
The catch is that a title does not always show ownership. Someone could hold a global head, India head or VP title and still have limited decision-making authority. Avinash says ownership matters more than the title, so ask who will decide what this team builds. If the answer is that the US team decides, you know where the decisions sit. You might be perfectly fine, but it is better to know this before you move the entire family across the country, not after.
He closes by saying the old deal, in which your career pays the price, has changed a lot. He asks viewers to share their role and target city in the comments, and says he reads each comment.
Watch the full video on the Desi Return YouTube channel.
Use the return-to-India planner to plan the move, or book a 1:1 quick call with Avinash to talk through an offer.
Auto-generated captions, lightly cleaned
0:00 Few years ago, if someone wants to move back to India, it's a pretty simple deal. First, you move for your family, but your career is paying the price. Smaller title, smaller paycheck, and even sometimes the work that you're doing is not at the level that you have achieved while you are abroad. But something got changed. In 2023, about 350 senior professionals who have worked for more than 10 years in US have returned to India. In 2025, it's about 2400 senior folks who worked for more than 10 years in US have moved back to India. That's seven times increase in two years. Homesickness didn't increase by seven times in two years. So, what changed? Two things. In US, there's a lot of uncertainty for professionals who are on visas.
1:00 Second, the most important one, the jobs that are waiting for them in India has become better. So, if you are someone who have worked abroad for 10, 15, 20 years, there are opportunities in India where that international experience is in demand. Today, I'm going to talk about four questions that help you see if one of those jobs exist for you. Wait till the end because the fourth question reveals if this job is really a senior role or merely a title. And this is very important because a lot of people don't pay attention to that. If you are someone who is thinking about moving back to India and holding back because of the career, this video is for you. Let's dive in.
1:52 First, let's talk about something you might have heard before, GCC, global capability center. Essentially, it's global companies own team in India. It's not an outsourcing company or an IT services company doing service for someone else. It's their own team working on their own products, technology, and business. Think of it like a American bank or a car manufacturer or a pharmaceutical company having thousands of their own employees in Bangalore, Hyderabad, or Pune. In India, currently, there are 2,011 GCC companies employing approximately 2.36 million people in India.
2:37 And over 507 of Forbes Global 2000 companies are actually having their GCC operations currently in India. And they are expanding rapidly. In 2024, industry was expecting that they would reach a annual revenue of $100 billion by 2030. In 2026 itself, the annual revenue is 98.4 billion, essentially meeting the old milestone of 2030 4 years early. And the projections is the GCCs going to expand rapidly until 2030. For every new GCC, they need people to set it up and to run it. The interesting part is not the growth of these GCCs. The interesting part is what these people are actually working on. For many years, the mental model is simple.
3:36 Head office decide what to be built, India built it, they make the critical decisions, India executed it. That model still exist. But increasingly, that isn't the whole story. The latest data shows 50% of the GCCs have done advanced work as their head office or even more. And interesting data is 96% of the GCCs that have been established since 2021 has a product or a portfolio mandate. So they have been established with an ownership in mind. So they are working on products, AI, engineering, research, and much more. Currently, about 1,200 of these GCCs has AI/ML capabilities employing around 250,000 AI professionals.
4:29 So the question isn't can you find a job in India? The question is, can you find a role that matches to the level that you have achieved while abroad? And for many professionals, the answer is yes. There is another interesting shift happening.
4:48 More than 6,500 global leadership roles are in India GCC as of 2024. Returning NRIs are increasingly filling these senior roles. More than 7,000 people who have lived abroad, worked for more than 10 years, has joined the top 125 GCCs as mid or senior level professionals. And the interesting thing is out of which 2,800 of them came from US, 800 came from UK. There is an increasing demand for people who have international experience. If you are someone who worked in abroad for more than 10 years, you not only bring the technical skills, you also bring the decision-making process, the culture, the global communication, what customers in US and Europe needs, and also you understand India. This is kind of the profiles that would be well
5:49 Suited for these positions. As far as money is concerned, GCCs pay
5:54 15 to 20% more than the IT services company and 71% of the GCCs have long-term incentive plans like ESOPs, RSUs. So, how do you know if a GCC role
6:08 Is realistic for you? Ask yourself four questions. If you are someone who is working product, R&D, data analytics, engineering, design, or AI, or cybersecurity, most likely the answer is yes. Even if you're not in technology, many manufacturing companies hire senior professionals to help with global operations, supply chain, and quality. If you're someone who is a customer in a customer-facing role, or sales, or someone with very local compliance, those opportunities are rare. So, why to guess it? You can actually test it out. Open LinkedIn, search for your exact title in Hyderabad or Bengaluru, and look for companies who are hiring those roles, and see the companies that are in global.
7:02 If the title exist, then you are clear. If you see the roles that are two levels below, that says you something. Second
7:11 Question, does your company have operations in India? You remember those 506 companies out of Forbes Global 2000, which has operations already in India? If your company is one of them, you can take an internal transfer, and that process is simpler than finding a new job. They know your work, your manager can vouch for it, and you might be able to maintain the same role when moving back to India. The salary might change because each company has its own policy, but you can quietly check with your HR or a senior professional whom you can trust. What are the roles that are available in India and how does the internal transfer work? Simply, in the worst case scenario, you might understand the policy. In the best case scenario, you can be able to avoid the complete job hunt and take the transfer internally. Question number
8:07 Three, which Indian city should you target? Because India isn't one single market. Bengaluru has about 1080 GCC units, Hyderabad has approximately 515 units, and Delhi NCR has about 490 units, and Pune, Chennai are pretty big with those GCCs, too. So, it actually depends on your field. For example, Rohan, who spent 7 years in Sweden working in EV industry, he found opportunities in Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, and in Chennai. But if he had searched in Bengaluru, he might have missed it. So, select the city based on the field of your work.
8:54 The city determines the rent, school, how far you're living off the parents. So, make a conscious decision of the right city for your career, for your
9:04 Family. Question number four, can you actually living with the working hours? In a typical GCC, you collaborate with US and Europe sometimes, which means you have calls in the evenings and even at late nights. For some, it is completely fine. For others, it doesn't work out. It it defeats the purpose of moving back to India. So, in the interview, don't simply ask is there an overlap with the teams abroad. Ask what is the actual times where the team overlaps. Get the actual times so that it can help in making the decision. So, by now you know if the role exists, if your company has an operations in India, which city to target at, and what are the working hours you can live.
9:48 Next, how do you land a job while still living abroad? Applying through job portals seems much harder than it looks. Some recruiters hesitate hiring people who hasn't relocated yet. I suggest messaging the hiring managers or HR people in your industry, but keep it short, covering these four points: who you are, what you're working on, where you are currently, what you can bring to the team, and when you are moving. The last one is important because the hiring manager seeing a message from someone abroad is wondering about is this person really serious or just exploring. Providing this information answers that question. So, give a specific month and a year that answers that you are serious about relocating. So, when a job offer
10:37 Does come in, check these two things. First, CTC is not your salary. CTC is the cost to company, which includes PF, gratuity, variable pay, insurance. So, check about your fixed salary and your monthly take home pay. Next,
10:57 Ask about the stocks. If you are moving within the company, does the unvested RSUs continue to vest? If it's a new company, ask about the grant and the vesting schedule. Because Indian salary is only one half of the decision. The second half is all the things that you have built abroad, the 401Ks, IRAs, brokerage accounts, property, and much more, which also impact the decision. And especially when the tax residence state change. If you have an offer and you want to discuss these things, you can book a one-on-one consultation call with me. The link is in the description below. So, now here
11:37 Is the catch. Not every GCC job is what the title makes it sound like. You could get global head, India head, VP, and still have very limited decision-making authority. So, the title is not the most important part, ownership. So, ask who is going to make the decision on what this team builds. If the answer says the US team is going to decide what needs to be built, you know the answer. You might be perfectly fine, but it's better to know >> [clears throat] >> this before you move the entire family across the country, not after. So, here
12:17 Are the four questions. Does your role exist in one of these GCCs in India? Does your company have operations in India? Which city do you want to target? And what are the working hours that you can live with? If you got three yeses, I would start the conversations while you're still employed at abroad.
12:36 Please let me know what is the title or the role that you're focusing on or targeting and the city. I read each and every comment and based on the responses, we can bring an appropriate recruiter in our podcast in the future.
12:51 By the way, if you're planning to move a specific city and want to find out what neighborhood, what schools, and what are the other returning members are doing, please consider joining our private WhatsApp group, which we called as an inner circle. The link to that is in the description below. The old deal was you move back to the country, but your career has to pay the price. That deal has changed a lot. What do you guys think? Consider subscribing to the channel as we bring more useful content that would be helpful for you to make an informed decision and make the transition as smooth as possible. Until next time, take care.
Sixty focused minutes on the career or income question blocking your decision.
