70
/
3
Min Read
Nearly 90% of India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) leaders are confident about retaining their global leadership position through 2030, but cite talent and skill gaps in AI and sector-specific knowledge as risks to growth, according to a new PwC India-FICCI study. The report, titled “Navigating the Skills Imperative for India’s GCCs in the AI Era,” is based on a survey of 200 senior GCC executives across eight industries.
GCCs See Large-Scale Upskilling as a Business Priority
According to the report, 72% of GCCs need to reskill or upskill more than 40% of their workforce, requiring enterprise-wide programmes rather than incremental ones. Most GCCs currently spend 3-5% of operating budgets on talent development, but 94% believe this must rise to at least 6% with over a quarter expecting it to exceed 8%.
AI and Domain Skills to Shape GCC Competitiveness
Rajesh Ojha, Partner and Leader - GCC Market Segment, PwC India, said, “GCCs are becoming enterprise nerve centres combining strategic decision-making, digital innovation and AI-led transformation and that success will depend on building composite skills that combine AI capabilities with domain knowledge and judgment.”
The report stated that GCCs are shifting from cost-efficient service providers to AI-native intelligence cores with 86% of leaders expecting AI to bring substantial or transformational change to work by 2030. A mix of frontier AI capabilities and foundational competencies will define competitive advantage.
Talent Supply Emerges as a Major Constraint
Talent supply remains a top constraint for GCCs, with 62% of leaders citing a lack of professionals combining domain expertise with tech skills as the biggest constraint. Leadership AI literacy stands at just 27% on average and over 90% of GCCs report that 40% or fewer of their leadership team have sufficient AI literacy for strategic decisions.
Energy, Healthcare and Life Sciences Face Higher Reskilling Needs
Reskilling needs are highest in energy, life sciences, and healthcare, while even lower-need sectors like BFSI, TMT and manufacturing are near 50%. New hires take an average of 8.69 months to become fully productive.
Education Curriculum Need Stronger AI and Digital Skills
On policy, 57% of leaders want AI and digital modules included in engineering and management curriculum, while 51% recommend government co-funding of GCC reskilling programmes. The findings highlight the growing need for stronger alignment between higher education, industry requirements and emerging technology skills.
As GCCs expand their focus on AI-led transformation, universities, professional education providers and EdTech companies could play a larger role in developing industry-ready talent. AI literacy, domain expertise, digital skills and continuous learningare expected to become increasingly important for students and working professionals seeking opportunities in the GCC ecosystem .
This article was originally
published by the 
