Listen

Pause Resume

As India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) scale at breakneck speed, the war for talent is reaching a tipping point. With over 2,400 GCCs expected by 2030 and a projected demand for 4.5 million professionals, talent scarcity is no longer a looming threat, it’s a present-day reality. According to the GCC India Talentscope 2025 report by People Matters, 9 out of 10 leaders anticipate demand for talent will outpace supply, creating workforce pressures. In this high-stakes environment, a new, underreported trend is emerging as a strategic differentiator. It’s retention by design.

Government initiatives are reinforcing this shift too. Last year, at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, the Karnataka government announced plans to set up three dedicated global innovation districts in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi, as part of its GCC policy. The state government signed MoUs with Microsoft, Intel, Accenture, IBM, and BFSI Consortium to skill over 1 lakh people. 

An overwhelming 67% of GCCs in India are now prioritising personalised career pathways as their top retention strategy. This entails a professional development plan that aligns with an individual’s skills, interests, goals, and potential with the organisation’s needs and growth opportunities. This approach far surpasses more traditional methods, such as strengthening culture hubs (36%) or diversifying well-being programmes (31%). A shift that reflects how GCCs approach talent, one that is proactive and deeply personalised.

A move that marks a leap in maturity for India’s GCC ecosystem, this is beyond generic learning and development programmes and rigid career ladders toward a more intentional and individualised approach to employee growth. The focus is no longer just on managing attrition but on creating long-term careers within the organisation.

This evolution in workforce strategy is also being shaped by the rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI). It has been both an enabler and a disruptor. According to a Zinnov report, while 63% of Indian professionals are optimistic about AI opening up new job opportunities, 68% remain concerned about potential job displacement. 

Adding to this is the complexity of rapid globalisation of roles. The Zinnov report further states that global roles originating from India are expected to grow four-fold in the coming years. This shift demands more than just scalable hiring but calls for building strong, future-ready leadership pipelines capable of driving impact at a global level. Personalised career pathways, in this context, become critical to retain talent for international mandates.

Building the Future of Work

So, what do these personalised pathways look like? At their core, they combine technology, data and intent to drive customised career journeys for employees.

To bridge skills gaps, GCCs are championing new-age learning methods. The most impactful approaches are cross-industry learning (60%) and personalised platforms (59%). This allows employees to build skill sets tailored to future needs, with a heavy emphasis on AI/ML optimisation, which about 60% of leaders identify as the core technical skill required. 

Already, more than 75% of GCCs in India are supporting structured AI upskilling plans, according to a 2023 NASSCOM research. In fact, GCCs in Bengaluru, are partnering with institutions such as IISc, IIIT-Bangalore, and IIT-Madras to co-create specialised GenAI programmes. One example is IBM’s partnership with IIIT-Bangalore to design an AI training module, now integrated into its employee development programmes across India. 

Further, GCCs leading digital transformations are increasingly engaging with AI startups to accelerate adoption and engage employees in cutting-edge innovation, according to an Inductus GCC report. This fusion of academia, industry and agile startup ecosystems is not just about building capabilities—it’s also helping position India as a global hub for AI talent.

GCCs are also leveraging people analytics to increase internal mobility, ensuring the right talent is used optimally. This could take the form of cross-functional projects or AI-suggested development opportunities based on an employee’s skills and aspirations.

The end goal is to scale an intelligent digital infrastructure that enables agile, data-driven, and personalised workforce management. This tech-powered approach includes leveraging AI-driven hiring solutions—a key strategy for 47% of GCCs—ensuring the organisation not only hires for future skills but also develops them from within.

A Global Blueprint Created in India

Investment in career architecture has global implications. As Indian GCCs sharpen these models for retaining talent in digital and AI-age roles, they are effectively creating a blueprint for their global parent corporations.

India is transitioning from being just a vast talent pool to a well-defined talent architecture hub. The strategies designed here to manage, develop and retain highly specialised professionals could soon become the standard for global HR models, particularly in competitive technology sectors. 

This simply shows that not all talent wars are fought on the hiring grounds. In the dynamic landscape of India’s GCCs, the battles are increasingly being won by those who design the future within their own walls by building personalised career paths that help talent stay, grow, and lead.