Geopolitical uncertainties affect job openings in semiconductor design GCCs in FY25: Report

India’s semiconductor design Global Capability Centres (GCCs) witnessed a 15 per cent decline in job openings in 2024-25, mainly due to ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and global supply chain disruptions, according to a report. The report by talent solutions provider Careernet revealed open positions peaked in May 2024 with 3,760 jobs before gradually tapering off to 3,040 by January 2025 and closing the year at 3,181 in March 2025.

This reflects a measured slowdown of nearly 15 per cent year-on-year decline in active roles across India’s top 50 semiconductor design GCCs. Despite this moderation, the overall demand for niche skills in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), embedded systems, and RF/analogue design remained resilient, with mid-sized GCCs demonstrating greater hiring agility, it added.

Semiconductor design is a niche area with inherently less headcount compared to other tech functions, so fluctuations in hiring sentiment – especially from two or three major industry players – can significantly influence the overall semiconductor design job market.

“The semiconductor design GCCs in India have experienced a relatively sluggish trend in new job openings over the past few quarters. This cautious hiring environment is largely driven by ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, global supply chain disruptions, and volatility in valuations within key technology areas, such as artificial intelligence and advanced computing,” Careernet CBO Neelabh Shukla told PTI.