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Business software giant SAP is ramping up hiring in India, where it expects to soon have its largest global workforce, surpassing even its German headquarters, CEO Christian Klein announced on Wednesday.
With over 15,000 employees at SAP Labs India—the company’s largest engineering hub worldwide and second-largest headcount overall—India has quickly become SAP’s fastest-growing market and one of its top 10 by revenue. “We will over proportionally hire here [India] versus all the other labs,” Klein stated, speaking in Bengaluru, where he was joined by SAP’s executive and supervisory boards.
Increased Investment in R&D and Customer Success
SAP plans to channel a majority of its future investments in research and development (R&D) and customer success into its India operations, although specific hiring targets and timelines remain undisclosed.
A new office in Bengaluru is currently under construction, designed to accommodate an additional 15,000 employees.
AI Strategy Anchored in India
Klein also highlighted India’s role in driving SAP’s artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, noting that SAP’s main AI strategy team operates from the country, with more Indian leaders spearheading development efforts.
Balancing Growth with AI Advancements
Addressing concerns about potential job reductions due to generative AI (GenAI), Klein reassured that SAP’s growth would support continued hiring. “As your business is growing 30% each year, you will also need more developers—not proportionally, under proportionally, but we have a growing business,” he said, indicating that job growth will persist as long as the company’s expansion does.
