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India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are no longer the quiet back offices of multinationals. They have transformed into strategic hubs driving innovation in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. But with this evolution has come a new challenge: an escalating war for specialised talent.

Unlike the traditional IT services sector, where salaries have stagnated for years, GCCs are offering premium pay packages – sometimes double the industry average – to attract the brightest minds. According to industry reports, average annual salaries in the sector stand at ₹5.2 lakh, with niche roles fetching far higher. The lure of complex, high-value work has made GCCs magnets for talent. But it has also triggered churn, with nearly 52% of professionals open to new opportunities and early-career attrition hovering around 47%.

The Skills Driving the Talent Race

The heart of the demand lies in specialised tech roles. GCCs are prioritising skills in AI/ML, data science, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Firms such as Taggd highlight a sharp rise in generative AI and platform engineering roles, while others have noted that in banking and financial services, demand is spiking for data scientists, risk analysts, and cybersecurity specialists.

The premium is evident. According to media reports, GCC salaries in emerging areas are often 30% higher than IT services benchmarks and compensation for niche roles such as blockchain and robotic process automation has increased by 15–20%. The competition for specialised talent is also driving annual hikes significantly across the ecosystem.

The scramble is not limited to metro cities either. According to a report, nearly 40% of new GCC hires are now coming from tier-2 cities, with firms using AI-led recruitment tools to widen their reach.

Grooming the Next Wave of Specialists

To sustain this momentum, India’s education system and training institutions are stepping up. According to a Nasscom study, premier institutes such as IIT Delhi and Manipal Academy are introducing specialised programs in AI/ML, with projections of one million AI-skilled graduates by 2027. Universities like SGT and Cochin College are tailoring BCA and M.Tech courses around cloud and cybersecurity, seeing enrollment spikes of 25–30%.

Executive education is also filling the gap. Institutes like IIM Indore are customising future ready programmes to meet the demand for AI and cybersecurity courses. Partnerships between universities and GCCs are becoming increasingly common, ensuring that curricula align with industry needs.

This institutional push is complemented by individuals taking charge of their own careers. According to the Global Labor Market Conference, nearly 70% of India’s tech professionals are actively reskilling—through edtech platforms, certifications, and bootcamps—to fit GCC hiring criteria. LinkedIn data shows that half of all recent GCC hires had completed some form of upskilling before landing their roles.

Recruitment and Retention: Two Sides of the Battle

Hiring the right people is only half the game. Retaining them is proving even harder. According to a report by CIEL HR, 51% of GCCs cite retention as their top concern, with recruitment costs ballooning significantly due to high churn.

To counter this, GCCs are deploying a mix of strategies. Personalised hiring journeys and AI-driven recruitment have become mainstream. According to a recent report, nearly 48% of GCCs are adopting AI tools for workforce planning and skill forecasting. Firms are also diversifying pipelines—tapping campuses, partnering with staffing firms, and running outreach in smaller cities.

Retention, however, requires more than higher pay. According to Zinnov, companies are leaning on flexible work models, multi-generational benefits, and career progression pathways. ANSR notes that long-term incentives and customised career tracks are increasingly part of the package. For younger employees, according to All Things Talent, the promise of innovation, purpose, and growth has become central to reducing churn.

A Reverse Diaspora Adds Fuel to the Fire

The competition for talent is not just internal. The global policy landscape is influencing who enters the talent pool. We previously examined how the latest H1-B visa fee hikes in the US could trigger a “reverse diaspora”—Indian professionals opting to stay back or return home rather than pursue opportunities abroad.

This trend could deepen the talent reservoir available to GCCs, but it also raises the stakes. Returning professionals with global exposure will demand not only higher salaries but also compelling career narratives. Companies will need to sharpen their pitch, offering roles that mirror global opportunities while catering to individual aspirations. This inflow could intensify the ongoing war for specialised talent, further pushing up compensation and benefits.

The Road Ahead

The GCC sector is expected to employ between 2.5 and 3 million professionals by 2030, contributing significantly to India’s innovation economy, with the sector’s value could cross $100 billion within the decade. But its biggest advantage—access to deep technical talent—could also become its Achilles’ heel if retention challenges persist.

For now, GCCs are at the crossroads of opportunity and competition. They are magnets for specialised skills, breeding grounds for next-generation professionals, and critical engines of global enterprise transformation. But the war for talent—fuelled by high mobility, aggressive poaching, and a reverse diaspora—is reshaping how companies attract, groom, and hold on to the specialists who will define their future.

The question is not whether India has the talent. It does. The question is: which GCCs will win the battle to keep it?