India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are expanding their responsibilities, but the availability of specialised talent is becoming a major constraint. With more than 2,100 GCCs operating across the country, demand is rising for professionals in artificial intelligence, data, cloud computing, cybersecurity and product engineering.
More than half of GCCs plan to increase their workforce in FY27. However, the challenge is increasingly about talent quality and readiness rather than the overall number of candidates. As GCCs take on product development, engineering, analytics and strategic business functions, companies need professionals who combine technical expertise with business knowledge and practical experience.
The growing gap between hiring demand and talent readiness
The Taggd-CII GCC Talent Lab report highlights the scale of the mismatch. While 52% of GCCs plan to expand their workforce, only 42.6% of graduates meet industry employability standards. Critical positions are also taking longer to fill, with nearly half requiring more than 60 days and almost one in five taking more than 90 days.
The issue is particularly significant for advanced GCC roles because classroom education and short-term certifications may not provide experience with complex enterprise environments.
- 52% of GCCs plan to expand their workforce.
- Only 42.6% of graduates meet industry employability standards.
- Nearly half of critical roles take more than 60 days to fill.
- Almost one in five critical roles takes more than 90 days to fill.
- Quality mismatch is emerging as a key hiring constraint.
Specialised technology skills are in short supply
The most difficult roles to fill are increasingly concentrated in specialised and rapidly evolving technology areas. Cybersecurity is among the most affected fields, particularly in cloud security, application security and zero-trust architecture.
Demand for these skills is growing rapidly, while the supply of professionals with three to eight years of relevant experience has struggled to keep pace. Other challenging areas include AI governance, prompt engineering, generative AI, MLOps, modern data engineering, site reliability engineering and platform engineering.
Employers are increasingly looking for candidates who have worked on real enterprise deployments rather than only completed courses or experimented with individual tools.
- Cloud, application and zero-trust cybersecurity.
- AI governance and prompt engineering.
- Generative AI and MLOps.
- Modern data engineering.
- Site reliability and platform engineering.
- Cloud architecture and multi-cloud environments.
GCC roles now require hybrid capabilities
The changing nature of GCC work is increasing demand for professionals who can combine technology skills with business and domain knowledge. Technical proficiency alone may not be sufficient for roles that involve regulatory requirements, strategic decisions, customer needs or enterprise-wide transformation.
As GCCs become more responsible for global products and business functions, professionals need to understand both the technology and the context in which it is being applied.
- Advanced technical and AI skills.
- Industry-specific domain expertise.
- Business and commercial understanding.
- Regulatory and risk awareness.
- Problem-solving and decision-making.
- Continuous learning and adaptability.
Talent costs are also increasing
The shortage of experienced professionals is contributing to higher compensation, particularly in India’s Tier-1 technology markets. Entry-level salaries in these cities have reportedly increased by 25–33%, while senior compensation has crossed ₹50 lakh annually, compared with about ₹40 lakh the previous year.
For GCCs, higher compensation adds another layer to the hiring challenge. Companies are competing for a limited pool of experienced professionals while also managing the costs associated with expanding advanced capabilities.
- Entry-level salaries in Tier-1 metros have risen by 25–33%.
- Senior compensation has crossed ₹50 lakh annually.
- Experienced technology professionals remain in strong demand.
- Salary competition can increase the cost of building new GCC capabilities.
GCCs are competing for the same experienced talent
Hiring patterns show that many GCCs are recruiting professionals who already work elsewhere rather than significantly expanding the overall talent pool. About 78% of GCC hiring is sourced externally, with IT services contributing 41% of that pool, other GCCs 32%, and startups and product companies 27%.
This movement can help organisations fill immediate vacancies, but it can also intensify competition for experienced professionals. New GCCs entering established technology hubs may therefore compete with existing centres for the same specialised talent.
- 78% of GCC hiring is sourced externally.
- IT services account for 41% of the external hiring pool.
- Other GCCs contribute 32%.
- Startups and product companies account for 27%.
- Internal talent development can reduce dependence on a limited external pool.
Reskilling is becoming central to GCC growth
With external hiring becoming more competitive, internal capability building is gaining importance. Nearly eight in 10 GCCs now run internal generative AI upskilling programmes, while reskilling initiatives cover close to three-quarters of the workforce.
These programmes can help organizations adapt existing employees to emerging roles while retaining institutional knowledge. The focus is increasingly shifting from one-time training to continuous learning as technologies and job requirements evolve.
- GenAI upskilling programmes are now widespread among GCCs.
- Reskilling can help address shortages in emerging technology areas.
- Internal mobility can reduce reliance on external recruitment.
- Continuous learning is becoming important as technology changes rapidly.
Domain expertise is becoming a key differentiator
Technology skills are only one part of the emerging talent requirement. GCCs also need professionals who understand the industries and business functions they support.
In pharmaceutical GCCs, for example, regulatory and scientific knowledge can complement technical expertise. In financial services, professionals increasingly need to understand both technology systems and the business decisions those systems support.
This combination of technical and domain expertise can help GCCs build solutions that are more closely aligned with enterprise requirements.
- Pharma roles may require regulatory and scientific knowledge.
- Financial services roles increasingly combine technology and business expertise.
- Industry context can improve technology implementation.
- Domain-led training can strengthen internal talent pipelines.
Building the talent pipeline for the next phase of GCC growth
India’s GCC talent challenge is unlikely to be solved through hiring alone. As centres take on more advanced and strategic responsibilities, organisations will need to develop stronger pipelines from campuses, invest in internal mobility and create structured reskilling programmes.
The next phase of GCC growth will depend on how effectively companies combine recruitment with capability building. Organisations that develop employees alongside hiring experienced professionals can create a broader and more sustainable talent base for AI, cloud, data, cybersecurity and product engineering.
- Strengthen campus hiring and early-career pipelines.
- Expand internal mobility programmes.
- Invest in continuous AI and technology reskilling.
- Develop domain-specific learning programmes.
- Build leadership capabilities for AI-led transformation.
- Combine external hiring with long-term internal talent development.
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