According to a report, India's semiconductor design Global Capability Centers (GCCs) experienced a 15 percent drop in job vacancies for 2024-25, primarily because of persistent geopolitical uncertainties and disruptions in the global supply chain. The report from talent solutions firm Careernet indicated that job openings reached a high in May 2024 at 3,760, then slowly declined to 3,040 by January 2025, ending the year at 3,181 in March 2025.

This indicates a calculated decrease of approximately 15 percent on a yearly basis in active positions within the leading 50 semiconductor design GCCs in India.

Even with this moderation, the overall demand for specialized skills in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), embedded systems, and RF/analogue design remained strong, as mid-sized GCCs showed enhanced hiring flexibility.

Semiconductor design is a specialized field that typically employs fewer people than other technology sectors, meaning that changes in hiring attitudes, particularly from two or three leading companies—can greatly impact the entire semiconductor design employment landscape.

"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," says Careernet CBO Neelabh Shukla.

The report relies on an examination of employment opportunities in India's leading 50 semiconductor design GCCs for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

In the meantime, the report indicated that the intellectual property (IP) design sub-sector concentrating on creating specialized chip components and reusable design blocks persisted in showcasing robust demand, with a notable quantity of job openings.

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"Despite these short-term fluctuations, we remain optimistic about the medium to long-term outlook. Increased global focus on semiconductor supply chain resilience, combined with strategic Indian government initiatives to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and design capabilities in India, is expected to catalyse a more robust growth trajectory for semiconductor design jobs in the coming years," says Neelabh.