Solving Talent Challenges in India’s GCCs: Building the Workforce of the Future

India has firmly established itself as the global hub for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), with over 1,700 centers employing more than 1.6 million professionals (NASSCOM, 2024). Once seen primarily as cost-saving back-office units, GCCs today are at the heart of digital transformation, enterprise innovation, and strategic decision-making for Fortune 500 firms.

But with rapid growth comes complexity. Even as India attracts more global investment, talent remains the single most critical challenge for GCC success. Retention pressures, evolving skill demands, and leadership gaps can derail even the most ambitious centers. For CXOs and GCC leaders, solving these workforce challenges strategically is key to unlocking long-term value and sustaining India’s leadership position in the global GCC landscape.

1. The Retention Challenge

Attrition remains one of the most pressing issues across GCCs in India. An Elliott Scott survey found that voluntary attrition in India’s technology workforce averages 23–25% annually, and GCCs are not immune. Skilled professionals in AI, cloud engineering, and data science often juggle multiple offers, making it difficult for GCCs to hold on to top talent.

Beyond compensation, the bigger reasons employees leave are lack of meaningful work and limited career progression. In fact, LinkedIn’s Workforce Learning Report notes that 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invests in their career development.

Solution: GCCs that offer high-impact projects and clear career pathways can significantly reduce attrition. Embedding roles that directly contribute to global product development, AI-led innovation, and enterprise transformation creates ownership and purpose. Instead of feeling like support staff, employees see themselves as innovators shaping global business outcomes turning retention into a competitive edge.

2. The Skills Gap

While India has the world’s largest technology talent pool, demand is shifting rapidly toward next-generation skills like Generative AI, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, and full-stack cloud engineering. According to NASSCOM, by 2026 India will face a shortage of 1.4–1.9 million digitally skilled professionals unless organizations accelerate skilling initiatives.

This supply-demand imbalance leaves many GCCs scrambling to fill mission-critical roles. Without timely reskilling, GCCs risk being bottlenecks instead of enablers in their parent companies’ digital transformation journey.

Solution: Leading centers are investing in continuous learning ecosystems. Many have set up in-house academies (e.g., JPMorgan Chase’s AI Academy in Bengaluru), partnered with ed-tech platforms, or launched global exposure programs where employees rotate across geographies. Such upskilling initiatives not only secure future-ready capabilities but also improve engagement. Employees who see their employers investing in their growth are far more likely to stay committed.

3. Doers vs. Builders: The Talent Philosophy Shift

Many GCCs begin with a workforce of highly capable Doers i.e. professionals adept at executing tasks, ensuring compliance, and stabilizing operations. While this operational stability is essential, it is not enough to power innovation.

As GCCs evolve, enterprises increasingly need Builders viz. talent that creates platforms, develops reusable intellectual property (IP), and drives new product concepts. A GCC that remains Doer-heavy risks stagnation; one that fosters Builders can become a core engine of global enterprise innovation.

Solution: Redefine hiring metrics and performance KPIs. This mindset shift attracts Builder talent who thrive on impact and innovation, not just execution. In fact, Gartner reports that 40% of global enterprises now expect their GCCs to co-own IP within the next three years—a clear sign of this paradigm shift.

4. Leadership Depth and Succession

Over the last decade, leadership within India’s GCC ecosystem has expanded dramatically from just over 100 roles in 2015 to more than 6,500 global leaders by 2023. Despite this growth, the leadership pipeline remains relatively shallow. Many GCCs still struggle to build site leaders who can align local execution with global strategy.

Solution: The next frontier is leadership development within GCCs. This requires structured mentorship programs, cross-border rotations, and access to global strategy sessions. By empowering Indian leaders with exposure and accountability, enterprises can create globally aligned leaders who represent India not just as a delivery hub, but as a strategic partner in transformation.

5. Culture and Collaboration

Another challenge that often undermines GCC effectiveness is organizational silos. Teams narrowly focused on functional domains (e.g., finance, IT, or analytics) sometimes fail to collaborate across capabilities, limiting innovation. A culture of “maintenance” instead of “momentum” can set in when employees are restricted to repetitive, low-impact support tasks.

Solution: Successful GCCs restructure around capability platforms such as AI, cloud, and data analytics, rather than rigid functional silos. This encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration, accelerates problem-solving, and builds a culture of innovation.

Recognition and autonomy are also critical. According to a Gallup survey, Almost 25% of employees say that the recognition they value most is when it comes directly from a senior leader or the CEO. Even brief, personal feedback from top leadership can leave a lasting impact, often becoming a standout moment in an employee’s career.

Building the Future Workforce of India’s GCCs

The future of India’s GCCs is not about scale alone; it is about strategically building a talent foundation that balances Doers and Builders, execution and innovation. GCCs that master retention, invest in continuous upskilling, strengthen leadership pipelines, and build collaborative cultures will remain at the forefront of their parent companies’ global transformation journeys.

As enterprises increasingly turn to Global Capability Centers in India for resilience, innovation, and digital delivery, the defining question for leaders is no longer whether India can provide talent. Instead, it is:

Is your GCC nurturing the right kind of workforce to drive long-term business impact?

How JSS Pro Helps GCCs Solve Talent Challenges

At JSS Pro, we understand that talent is the cornerstone of GCC success. Our Talent Solutions are designed to help GCCs in India not just fill roles, but strategically build the workforce of the future.

• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): We help GCCs hire faster and smarter by leveraging AI-driven sourcing, niche talent mapping, and cost-efficient recruitment models.

  
  

• Employee on Role (EOR) Services: Seamlessly expand your GCC workforce with our compliant and scalable EOR solutions.

  
  

• Compliance & HR Support: Ensure adherence to India’s complex regulatory framework while building a positive employee experience.

  
  

• Leadership & Succession Programs: We help identify, groom, and retain the next generation of GCC leaders.

By combining deep expertise in finance, compliance, and talent management, JSS Pro enables GCCs to overcome talent challenges and thrive as innovation-driven global capability hubs.

If you’re building or scaling your GCC in India, the question is not just about finding people, it’s about finding the right people, at the right time, with the right skills. Ensure that your GCC is future-ready with JSS Pro, today!