Big Tech adds 32,000 India jobs as H-1B rules tighten
What's the story
With new H-1B visa restrictions introduced this year, major US tech companies such as Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google have hired over 32,000 employees in India for the year 2025. This marks an 18% year-on-year increase in headcount additions by these big tech firms in India. The overall workforce count now stands at around 214,000 employees.
Skill demand
Demand for specialized tech skills surges
The increase in hiring is mainly due to the rising demand for specialized Indian tech talent, especially in the rapidly growing AI sector. Kamal Karanth, co-founder of staffing firm Xpheno, said that "the net headcount growth of the cohort for 2025 is the highest over the last three years." Despite this surge, American tech giants are still hiring mainly for specific roles rather than generalist ones.
Hiring trends
New digital skills at the forefront of hiring
In 2025, big tech firms are focusing their hiring on new digital skills such as AI/ML ops and data roles in engineering, analytics, cloud, and cybersecurity. The demand for these roles has increased by nearly 25-30%. Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, said that "demand is majorly concentrated on high-value specialized tech skills rather than legacy support functions."
Future projections
AI's impact on hiring trends
Karanth believes that the effect of AI deployment isn't fully reflected in the hiring funnel yet. He said companies are hiring more for adjacent skill sets that will expand AI capabilities, not directly for AI roles. "The changes in hiring, owing to AI, will be evident in the next 2-3 year period," he added.
Investment surge
Tech giants' investments in India
In the October-December quarter alone, Google announced a $15-billion investment to build a large-scale AI hub in Visakhapatnam. Microsoft has committed $17.5 billion for India's cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling, and sovereign digital capabilities. Amazon plans to invest $35 billion over five years across its businesses in India, expecting to create an additional one million jobs by 2030.
Visa impact
H-1B visa curbs and local hiring
The Trump administration has imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications and introduced a lottery system favoring high-skilled, high-wage individuals. This has led to an increase in local hiring in India for 2026. However, there could be a slowdown in hiring volume later this year as more clarity emerges around talent movement and service purchases by US firms.