The ICT Industry in Ahmedabad: General Overview

Ahmedabad continues to remain the main city of Gujarat state in India, even after the capital was moved to Gandhinagar. And beyond the fact that the city is a fast-growing tech hub, the main reason for staying in focus is its trade and commercial connections and development. 

Additionally, the city has one of the most effective tech education systems, as the state invested in Ahmedabad’s science research more than in any other city in the region. Higher education quality is at good rates, which allows the city to benefit from an impressive number of young tech graduates each year, fueling IT companies with one of the world’s most precious resources - skilled workers. 

However, one of the biggest challenges Ahmedabad faces is retaining human capital within the city limits, as there are more attractive places in India that provide a more favorable environment for IT workers and industry.  

Salaries for IT professionals are midrange, not too big, and not extremely low: around $14K USD/year earns a Software developer and $21K USD/year an IT project manager. Compared to other cities and within the same industry, Ahmedabad IT companies offer decent compensation for IT professionals. 

The number of IT companies in Ahmedabad was estimated at 5600+ in 2019, but it could be more. Many skilled developers and designers choose to provide freelance services instead of opting for a company, as the salaries are comparable but the work schedule is more flexible in the first case. Also, BPO companies in Ahmedabad offer competitive salaries, but with different opportunities for skilled IT professionals, and as a consequence attract ~25% of the IT human resources. 

Even with these challenges, Ahmedabad remains one of India’s top IT destinations for companies, clients, and workforce, and is expected to grow in the next decade and surpass other IT centers from India and neighboring countries.