Hiring in semiconductor design GCCs shifting from high-volume to specialised roles: Report

Mumbai, Sep 24 (PTI) Semiconductor design global capability centres (GCCs) in India are changing their hiring approach as job posting data during the first quarter of this financial year showed a demand for more specialised, high-value roles instead of large-scale recruitment, according to a report.

While the overall hiring volume across the top 50 semiconductor design GCCs dropped by 22 per cent during the first quarter of FY26, compared to the same period of the previous year, the demand for niche skill sets is accelerating, talent solutions provider Careernet said in a report released on Wednesday.

"The semiconductor industry is at the heart of global growth, yet the supply chain remains fragile due to its concentration in limited geographies.

"With strong government initiatives like the India Semiconductor Mission, a rich base of MSMEs, and world-class talent in AI, cloud, and R&D, India is poised to play a leading role. While overall hiring volumes are moderating, the demand for niche, innovation-led skill sets is accelerating, reflecting a decisive shift from quantity to quality," Careernet CBO Neelabh Shukla said.

The Careernet report is based on job posting data of 79 large, midsize, and startup semiconductor design GCCs, with a deep dive into the active roles during Q1 of 2024-25 and 2025-26.

It further revealed that hiring demand is led by core VLSI skills (48 per cent), followed by system and application software (35 per cent) and business operations/IT support (17 per cent) roles.

Within this, digital design (15 per cent), verification (10 per cent), and system software (10 per cent) roles emerged as top focus areas, with steady demand for physical design, analogue, embedded systems, and firmware, added the report.

The report revealed that the hiring is shifting from high-volume to specialised roles, with demand centred on digital design engineers, verification specialists, and system software developers, while gradually opening opportunities in areas such as AI/ML model training, validation, and hardware-software integration.

Leadership and non-core support hiring, meanwhile, remains muted, highlighting the pivot toward technical depth, it added. PTI SM MR