Mumbai, February 25 India's global capability centers (GCCs) for semiconductor design underwent a corrective phase in the calendar year 2025, with hiring activity slowing steadily through the first three quarters before showing signs of a cautious rebound in the final quarter, according to a report released on Wednesday.
Open positions across the top 50 semiconductor design GCCs consistently declined between January and October 2025 – with the second quarter being the weakest – before witnessing a selective pick-up in hiring during the October-December period, according to the 'India's Semiconductor Design GCC Talent Ecosystem - CY 2025' report by talent solutions provider Careernet.
However, the fourth quarter of 2025 signaled renewed confidence, with November and December recording the strongest month-on-month increase in job openings during the year, although hiring volumes remained below those of early 2025, the report added.
The Careernet 'India's Semiconductor Design GCC Talent Ecosystem - CY 2025' report is based on an analysis of hiring data from the top 50 semiconductor design GCCs.
Furthermore, the report revealed that large GCCs (over 5,000 employees) experienced the widest swings in monthly hiring, while smaller GCCs displayed high volatility, reacting quickly to market signals.
Mid-sized GCCs (1,000-5,000 employees) remained the most stable, with relatively controlled fluctuations throughout the year.
Notably, the fourth quarter recorded positive hiring momentum across all sizes of GCCs, indicating selective growth rather than a broad-based rebound.
It also found that roles in Core VLSI accounted for 44 per cent of total open positions in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Within VLSI (a talent pool of 2.6 lakh professionals), Verification (28 per cent) and Front-end Design (26 per cent) led demand, with a talent pool of 200,000 professionals, followed by Physical Verification (18 per cent) and Physical Design (14 per cent), it said.
Roles in System and Application Software contributed 40 per cent of open positions, reflecting the growing convergence of hardware design and software-driven optimization, the report stated.
"The hiring correction seen in the fourth quarter of 2025 points to a structural shift in India's semiconductor design ecosystem. It reflects a combination of global demand normalization, tighter cost controls, and more disciplined capital allocation across semiconductor design GCCs," Neelabh Shukla, Chief Business Officer, Careernet, said.
As the sector matures, organizations are shifting away from expansion-led hiring toward prioritizing roles that deliver direct design impact and long-term intellectual property value, and this shift is resulting in fewer but more specialized openings, with a clear emphasis on core VLSI and advanced design capabilities over volume-led growth, he said.
"Moreover, ongoing policy support for R&D, domestic IP creation, and industry-led skilling is reinforcing this transition, prompting GCCs to align talent strategies with long-term value creation rather than short-term volume growth. This signals India's evolving role from a cost-efficient design hub to a capability-led semiconductor powerhouse," Shukla added.
The report stated that India's semiconductor design GCCs are increasingly focused on core design excellence and AI-adjacent capabilities, aligning hiring with long-term strategic bets rather than short-term growth.
With government-led initiatives and sustained global interest in India's design talent, the fourth quarter recovery is likely to set the stage for more targeted, skills-first hiring in 2026, the report added.