UKG Expands India Operations, Driving Global R&D and AI Innovation in HR Tech

India Becomes the Epicentre of UKG's 50% Global R&D Operations | AIM

"The core parts of the company's products -- from databases to workforce management solutions -- are being built and evolved by teams in India." HR and workforce management leader UKG recently expanded its operations in India with the launch of a new centre of excellence (CoE) in Pune. The centre will drive innovation across UKG's global products and services, tapping into the city's growing pool of technology talent. The office in Pune, which can initially accommodate up to 250 employees, will focus on advancing UKG's AI-powered workforce management platforms and solutions. This expansion follows UKG's wider growth in India, where it now employs at least 3,000 people across its existing offices in Noida, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. In an interview with AIM, Nitin Chandel, group vice president and India country manager at UKG, said that the company's platform development is heavily powered out of India, with a significant portion of its global innovation and R&D efforts rooted in the country. About half of UKG's global R&D operations are currently happening in India, he added. The core parts of the company's products -- from databases to workforce management solutions -- are being built and evolved by teams in India, Suresh Vittal, chief product officer at UKG, told AIM. The CoE based in Pune will be an integral part of the company's product and technology ecosystem, which will help scale faster, innovate and deliver outcomes not just for Indian customers but also for the 80,000 organisations that rely on UKG solutions around the world. UKG's India Base "Our flagship workforce management solution, including capabilities like scheduling, are built out of India. Similarly, our product Ready, which is our SMB product -- an all-in-one platform of payroll, workforce management and human capital management -- is largely developed out of India," Vittal added. Responding to the broader perception of the work being done in India, Chandel highlighted a clear distinction between high-value research and development and lower-value back-office operations. He explained that while the top 2% of product companies are heavily engaged in core R&D activities in India, a large portion of additional work across the industry still involves routine back-office tasks. Meanwhile, the company is planning to hire over 500 professionals across engineering, product, and customer-facing roles in Pune by the end of the year. UKG has also launched hiring drives across South India and other regions, as part of its commitment to building a diverse and innovative workforce. According to Chandel, UKG is currently focused on hiring talent with deep expertise in specific areas, mainly deep platform, deep AI, deep data science and deep business analytics skill sets. He explained that while the company continues to hire standard developers to build out the platform, there is a strong emphasis on data-related roles, as data is fundamental to AI development. "Data is big because all the AI happens on data," he added. Alongside these niche areas, UKG is also recruiting crucial roles such as UX engineers and full-stack engineers to support broader development needs. However, the immediate priority remains on specialised skills critical to the organisation's growth. Furthermore, to connect with young talent, UKG recently sponsored the tech fest at MKSSS's Cummins College of Engineering for Women in Pune. UKG Bringing Innovation Through Agents The goal for UKG is to make technology invisible and intuitive for users. "We're aiming at using AI and agents to deliver deeply personalised experiences for the employees that allow them to be more productive without having to learn new tools," Chandel mentioned. Last year, the company launched UKG Bryte AI agents, an umbrella platform designed to introduce AI-driven agents into the workplace. "We believe in this category of workforce management and human capital management. Thinking about everything from hire to retirement, the journey that an employee at the workforce goes through, we think this entire landscape is rich with AI opportunities," Vittal said. The Bryte AI agents are built on a vast foundation of operational data, positioning UKG uniquely in the market. "Our Bryte AI agents are built uniquely on this massive data moat where we process nearly a trillion dollars of payroll, we take care of almost 30 billion shifts a year, we are helping companies hire more than 30 million jobs a year." As a result, UKG is in a position to train models that are at the intersection of the function -- workforce management, human capital management, or payroll administration -- and the verticals -- healthcare, retail, manufacturing, service, and delivery. This depth of data enables UKG's AI agents to be highly effective, helping to automate traditional, low-value tasks and allowing employees to focus on higher-value work. "This means these agents are super effective and really well trained in automating a lot of the traditional low-value activity to allow people to focus on the higher value stuff," Vittal added Among the Bryte AI agents are tools such as Frontline Assist, Explain My Pay, and Compliance Management agents. These AI-driven solutions are designed to simplify workforce operations. "These agents simplify how the workforce operates. This workforce is coming in to actually get work done, not to manage their time, their payroll, insurance, or their retirement funds and so on. We have been introducing agents to help solve a lot of those equations, so the workforce can actually focus on what they are best equipped to do -- which is deliver value to their end customers," Vittal explained. The past year saw the launch of the Continuous Compliance agent, a particularly impactful solution for payroll administrators. This allows payroll administrators to constantly check all the changes in legal language or company policy updates, or state-level updates that keep happening on a regular basis and then update other stakeholders in the process involved.

UKG, the largest US based private SaaS company, is expanding its India footprint to drive global innovation

UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), the largest U.S.-based private SaaS company in the world and an Industry leader in HR, Payroll, and Workforce Management solutions, announced the opening of its Centre of Excellence in Pune, Maharashtra, marking a new milestone in UKG's growth journey in India. This new India office is designed to deliver cutting-edge solutions to customers in 150 countries worldwide, leveraging the city's highly skilled and diverse talent pool. With 80,000 organizations using its cloud solutions around the world, UKG supports a growing customer base across the world and in India to optimize workforce strategies, drive better business outcomes, and help every organization become a great place to work through technology built for all. With recent strategic appointments -- including Jennifer Morgan as EO and Nitin Chandel as Group Vice President and India Country Manager -- UKG is reinforcing its leadership bench as it enters a new chapter of growth and innovation. Expansion In India UKG has been present in India since 2007. The new space in Pune will complement UKG's existing offices in Noida, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, contributing to the company's growing presence in the country, where UKG employs more than 3,000 people. The Pune centre is expected to house up to 500 employees this year and will focus on advancing UKG's product innovation along with AI-powered workforce management platforms and solutions. By tapping into Pune's thriving technology talent ecosystem -- including the presence of premier engineering colleges and a talented tech community -- UKG aims to accelerate its mission of helping organizations become great places to work. To celebrate this milestone, an exclusive networking event with Pune's top and trending tech minds was organised this week, with an opportunity to explore new ideas and strengthen the bonds that drive our collective success as a region. "India has always been a key global growth engine for us. The contributions from the India team have been critical for UKG in reaching the #1 market share position in our industry worldwide. Our continued India expansion, starting here in Pune, will play a pivotal role in driving the next chapter of our global growth success," said Nitin Chandel, Group Vice President & India Country Manager, UKG. "Our investment in this new centre reinforces our long-term commitment to India and recognizes Pune's rising stature in the global tech landscape as a strategic location for growth and AI-led innovation." "At UKG, we are focused on building global platforms that power the modern workforce. The Pune Centre of Excellence will be an integral part of our product and technology ecosystem, helping us scale faster, innovate more boldly, and deliver outcomes that matter -- not just for our customers in India, but all 80,000 organizations that rely on UKG solutions around the world," said UKG Chief Product Officer Suresh Vittal. "We see Pune as a strategic site where deep engineering expertise meets a culture of innovation. The talent we bring here will be at the forefront of solving complex challenges and shaping the future of our global HCM and workforce management solutions." UKG cares deeply about its community and its responsibility to take care of the world in which it lives and works. Doing the right thing for its employees, customers, and communities is a core commitment. In the coming months, UKG is set to invest in several new initiatives in the region, in addition to the support it already extends to its community partners ANK-NGO and based in Delhi-NCR. As part of its India growth strategy, UKG plans to hire more than 500+ professionals across engineering, product, and customer-facing roles in Pune by the end of the year. To further strengthen its talent base, UKG has also launched nationwide hiring drives -- engaging talent across India -- and introducing them to its innovation-led, R&D-focused culture. These efforts reflect UKG's deep commitment to belonging, inclusion, and building dynamic teams that represent the best of India's technology talent. Kickstarting its talent development and campus engagement in the region, UKG was a key sponsor for the Tech Fest in April, hosted by MKSSS's Cummins College of Engineering for Women in Pune. UKG's Early Careers team has hired 300+ campus graduates across the country this fiscal year, reflecting the company's focus on building a strong talent pipeline in India. About UKG UKG is on a mission to inspire every organization to become a great place to work through HCM technology built for all. More than 80,000 organizations across all sizes, industries, and geographies -- including two-thirds of the Fortune 1000 -- trust UKG HR, payroll, and workforce management culture cloud solutions to drive great workplace experiences and make better, more confident people and business decisions. With the world's largest collection of people data, work data, and culture data combined with rich experience using artificial intelligence in the service of people, we connect culture insights with business outcomes to show what's possible when organizations invest in their people.