Kerala Sets Target of 10 Lakh IT Jobs by 2031, Aims to Capture 10% of India’s Digital Economy

Kerala has set an ambitious target of generating 10 lakh jobs in the Information Technology (IT) sector by 2031, as part of its strategy to become a major force in India’s digital economy.

The state also aims to capture 10% of the national IT market share and increase the number of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) operating in Kerala to 120.

Inaugurating the “Recode Kerala 2025” IT seminar organised by the Department of Electronics and IT under Vision 2031, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday said discussions should focus on areas such as infrastructure development, skill enhancement, and technology integration.

The state plans to expand its IT space to 30 million sq. ft., with land pooling models introduced to attract private investment and address land constraints.

The government’s digital vision includes setting up data centres, cloud infrastructure facilities, and satellite IT parks, all built on sustainable energy and construction practices.

It also plans to train 10 lakh youth, create five lakh high-value jobs, and generate two lakh employment opportunities in GCCs through new technology missions such as the Kerala Future Technology Mission, Kerala Semiconductor Mission, and Kerala AI Mission.

“Kerala aims to emerge as a global hub for artificial intelligence research and application,” the Chief Minister said, adding that AI and local technologies will be leveraged to enhance governance and public service delivery.

Kerala’s IT journey, he noted, began with the establishment of Technopark and India’s first Digital University, and now extends to the newly launched Digital Science Park. The state’s startup ecosystem has grown from 300 ventures in 2016 to 6,400 in 2025, recording 254% growth between 2021 and 2023.

Over the past decade, startups from Kerala have attracted ₹6,000 crore in investments, with 900 projects receiving ₹50 crore in seed funding. The state’s IT exports are nearing ₹1 lakh crore, marking a ₹90,000 crore increase since 2016.

A statewide outreach programme will be launched in January 2026 to collect citizens’ views on development priorities through home visits by volunteers.

Industries Minister P. Rajeev said Kerala has successfully tackled the “second-generation challenges” of its development model and is now emerging as a global investment destination. He said the state’s “Intelligence Decade” initiatives focus on AI, robotics, blockchain, and big data analytics.

During the event, the Chief Minister inaugurated “i by Infopark”, a premium co-working space at Ernakulam South Metro Station, handed over the first company license to Zoho Corporation CEO Tony Thomas (USA), released the Vision 2031 draft document, and unveiled Kerala’s first indigenously designed 5G chip, developed by Silisium Circuits.