Hitachi India is set to expand its local workforce by more than 5,000 over the next five years, betting on rapid infrastructure growth and digital transformation across the country.
The company’s investments will span energy, artificial intelligence, and resource management, integrated with Hitachi’s global centres of excellence, said Bharat Kaushal, executive chairman of Hitachi India, during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Currently, Hitachi India employs 42,000 people across multiple business lines.
The recruitment drive is part of a broader strategy to capitalise on surging investment in India’s energy and rail sectors and the increasing adoption of advanced technologies such as AI and industrial automation. Hitachi sees India as a key growth market, aiming to expand not only in manufacturing but also through digitally enabled services.
Government initiatives to upgrade urban infrastructure and modernise the energy grid have attracted multibillion-dollar investments from Japanese and other global firms. Hitachi plans to deploy solutions in India that can later be scaled and exported internationally, Kaushal added.
The expansion comes amid rising global uncertainty caused by geopolitical events that have disrupted supply chains and trade links. “There is a huge uncertainty, and everyone’s rethinking across the world. In India, you’ve kind of conquered the chaos better, or you’re in a better position to conquer the chaos,” Kaushal said.
India’s “China plus one” strategy encourages companies to manufacture locally to reduce reliance on China. Kaushal acknowledged the challenge: “It’s about an ecosystem, one China already has in a very robust manner.” However, with global supply chains being reshaped, he believes India’s energy, rail, digital, and AI sectors are well-positioned to benefit from the ongoing transformation.
