Quess Sees IT Hiring Revival as Enterprises Race to Build AI Capabilities

Indian staffing firm Quess Corp expects a meaningful pick-up in information technology hiring in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, as companies accelerate their internal artificial intelligence build-outs. Lohit Bhatia, executive director and group CEO of Quess, told Moneycontrol that enterprises are increasingly setting up their own AI stacks, a shift he believes will create fresh demand for specialised technology professionals.

The upbeat outlook contrasts with the cautious posture of India's large IT services companies, many of which are still navigating uneven discretionary spending outside banking and financial services. Bhatia acknowledged that IT services firms have remained measured on hiring, but he argued that enterprise AI adoption is beginning to redraw the demand map independently of that segment.

Quess, whose professional staffing business is overwhelmingly driven by global capability centres and enterprise clients rather than IT services vendors, reported a 9% sequential revenue increase in the June quarter to Rs 252 crore, with EBITDA up 12% year-on-year. GCCs accounted for 71% of professional staffing headcount and 68% of segment revenue, insulating the company from weakness in traditional IT services demand.

GCC Dominance and Niche Skill Demand Shape the Staffing Outlook

Why Quess Corp Is Largely Untethered from IT Services Caution

Only about 10% of Quess's professional staffing revenue comes from Indian IT services companies, a striking structural detail that explains why the firm can project an uptick even while the country's $300-billion services export industry exercises restraint. Instead, 90% of the business is anchored by GCCs and enterprise IT departments—organisations that are expanding in India precisely to address talent shortages and technology requirements. This client mix means Quess is not waiting for a broad-based recovery in discretionary tech spending to meet its own growth targets.

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The GCC Engine and the Shift Toward Specialised Roles

Bhatia said demand is concentrating in niche technology areas: AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, cloud engineering and forward-deployment engineering. Quess reported more than 1,100 open mandates in these high-value roles, part of an overall technology hiring order book of roughly 2,000 positions across permanent and contract staffing. The company's commentary reflects a structural realignment: GCCs are no longer just cost centres but are becoming core innovation hubs, intensifying competition for the same small pool of experienced professionals.

The Supply Squeeze That Defines the Market

Bhatia's remarks underscore a persistent imbalance. "Clients in every space are finding it harder to get good talent, whether it is cloud, cybersecurity or AI," he said. That supply squeeze is a double-edged sword for Quess—it constrains the speed at which the firm can fill mandates, but it also reinforces the value of its specialised recruitment capabilities and deep GCC relationships. With enterprise AI adoption still in early stages, the gap between demand and available talent is unlikely to close soon, putting a premium on staffing partners that have already built pipelines in these areas.

For Employers and Tech Professionals: Navigating the Talent Crunch

  • For GCC and enterprise leaders: With Quess reporting over 1,100 open mandates in niche roles and demand outstripping supply, plan for extended recruitment cycles. Building internal training pipelines or partnering with staffing firms that have pre-qualified talent pools can reduce time-to-hire.
  • For IT services firms: The enterprise AI build-out is creating adjacent demand that does not depend on a return of discretionary spending. Ignoring the GCC-driven staffing boom risks ceding ground to more agile competitors who are already embedding themselves in these networks.
  • For tech professionals: The focus on forward-deployment engineering, AI, machine learning, crypto and cybersecurity is concrete and current—Quess's order book validates where the demand sits. Upskilling into these areas now, with verifiable project experience, directly maps onto the roles that are hardest to fill.

Risk & Opportunity Assessment

Commercial RiskMediumQuess's professional staffing revenue is heavily concentrated in GCC clients (71% headcount, 68% revenue). A change in the pace of GCC expansion—driven by global corporate cost controls or geopolitical shifts—would disproportionately affect the company's growth trajectory.
Competitive RiskMediumThe surge in demand for niche tech staffing is attracting larger staffing players and boutique agencies. Quess must continuously deepen its GCC relationships and its specialty talent networks to retain the 90% non-IT services share of its professional staffing business.
Regulatory RiskLowNo specific regulatory changes are indicated in the interview or the broader operating context; Indian IT services and GCCs remain largely free of abrupt licensing or visa friction in domestic staffing.
Reputation RiskLowNo negative reputational exposures are flagged. The commentary focuses on demand-side trends, not on any service delivery failures or public controversies.
Technology DisruptionLowThe technology shift—enterprise AI adoption—is the very driver of Quess's near-term growth. While AI could eventually automate some staffing functions, the immediate effect is a sharp increase in demand for the exact human experts Quess is placing.
Commercial OpportunityHighEnterprises building internal AI stacks are creating a wave of hiring for specialised tech talent. With over 1,100 open mandates and a 2,000-position order book concentrated in AI, ML, cybersecurity and cloud, Quess is positioned to capture revenue growth that is structurally decoupled from the caution in the IT services segment.