<p>Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is aiming to more than triple IT sector employment from the current 2.5 million jobs within the next five years.</p><p>Speaking at the DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit during a panel on The Future of Jobs, Dr Manjula N, Secretary, IT/BT Department, Government of Karnataka, said, “We released the latest IT policy in the previous Bengaluru Tech Summit. Currently, there are 2.5 million jobs in the IT sector, and we have the ambitious target of more than tripling the same in the next five years.”</p>.DH Bengaluru 2040 | Tech to help policing but conventional policing will not go away .<p>Highlighting the importance of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), she noted that they have become major contributors to Karnataka’s employment landscape. </p><p>Nationally, GCCs account for 1.9 million jobs. Under Karnataka’s 2024-29 GCC Policy, the state plans to attract 500 new GCCs and generate 3.5 lakh jobs by 2029.</p><p>While Bengaluru continues to lead, cities such as Mangaluru, Hubballi, Dharwad and Mysuru are emerging as strong employment hubs. STPI-Bengaluru operates five sub-centres in addition to its headquarters across Karnataka. </p><p>With the Union Budget announcing a tax holiday for data centres, these are expected to further boost job creation. The state is also prioritising skilling initiatives backed by a strong innovation ecosystem, with startups and smaller firms actively hiring skilled talent, while exploring other sectors to expand employment opportunities.Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the IT sector’s trajectory. </p><p>Santhosh Rao, Partner and Executive Director at IBM Consulting, said AI’s growing consumer-friendliness is accelerating adoption. “With the proliferation of AI, we are seeing significant new jobs and roles being created as decision-making shifts into GCCs,” he said, adding that AI augments intelligence rather than replacing it.</p><p>Addressing concerns over job losses, experts emphasised that roles are evolving. Kamal Karanth, Co-Founder of Xpheno, noted a shift from mass hiring to niche hiring in IT services. “Structurally, hiring has moved from mass-market to niche-market,” he said, citing moderation in fresher recruitment in recent years.</p><p>He added that for every 25,000 jobs lost, about 31,000 new AI-related opportunities are emerging. Emphasising India’s services-led strength, he said, “We are a largely services-led economy, especially on the software side — something we should embrace.”Experts stressed continuous skilling and reskilling to stay relevant.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is aiming to more than triple IT sector employment from the current 2.5 million jobs within the next five years.</p><p>Speaking at the DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit during a panel on The Future of Jobs, Dr Manjula N, Secretary, IT/BT Department, Government of Karnataka, said, “We released the latest IT policy in the previous Bengaluru Tech Summit. Currently, there are 2.5 million jobs in the IT sector, and we have the ambitious target of more than tripling the same in the next five years.”</p>.DH Bengaluru 2040 | Tech to help policing but conventional policing will not go away .<p>Highlighting the importance of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), she noted that they have become major contributors to Karnataka’s employment landscape. </p><p>Nationally, GCCs account for 1.9 million jobs. Under Karnataka’s 2024-29 GCC Policy, the state plans to attract 500 new GCCs and generate 3.5 lakh jobs by 2029.</p><p>While Bengaluru continues to lead, cities such as Mangaluru, Hubballi, Dharwad and Mysuru are emerging as strong employment hubs. STPI-Bengaluru operates five sub-centres in addition to its headquarters across Karnataka. </p><p>With the Union Budget announcing a tax holiday for data centres, these are expected to further boost job creation. The state is also prioritising skilling initiatives backed by a strong innovation ecosystem, with startups and smaller firms actively hiring skilled talent, while exploring other sectors to expand employment opportunities.Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the IT sector’s trajectory. </p><p>Santhosh Rao, Partner and Executive Director at IBM Consulting, said AI’s growing consumer-friendliness is accelerating adoption. “With the proliferation of AI, we are seeing significant new jobs and roles being created as decision-making shifts into GCCs,” he said, adding that AI augments intelligence rather than replacing it.</p><p>Addressing concerns over job losses, experts emphasised that roles are evolving. Kamal Karanth, Co-Founder of Xpheno, noted a shift from mass hiring to niche hiring in IT services. “Structurally, hiring has moved from mass-market to niche-market,” he said, citing moderation in fresher recruitment in recent years.</p><p>He added that for every 25,000 jobs lost, about 31,000 new AI-related opportunities are emerging. Emphasising India’s services-led strength, he said, “We are a largely services-led economy, especially on the software side — something we should embrace.”Experts stressed continuous skilling and reskilling to stay relevant.</p>