How HR innovation is fuelling a $100bn talent revolution

Global capability centres (GCCs) in India are in the midst of a ‘return revolution’. They no longer operate as back offices for their parent companies. They are emerging as centres of excellence – 40% of GCCs in India are actively leading AI charters for their global organisations.

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Data from various sources point to the country having nearly 2,000 GCCs, employing 1.9 million people with revenues of around $24.6 billion in 2024. Projections envision a market size of $100-110 billion by 2030, with the workforce expanding to 2.5-2.8 million.

The influx of so many highly skilled employees in a complex outfit requires much participation from the HR department. How they are managing this difficult task was the subject of discussion at a recent roundtable titled ‘Unlocking talent potential: How HR innovation is shaping India’s GCC revolution’, hosted by Mint, in association with UNext.

“HR is no longer a support function. It is the function which is actually driving GCC’s business,” said Aatash Shah, SVP and business head, UNext.

The HR mandate, he feels, has expanded significantly, now focusing on “leveraging the full potential of this talent at scale, across geographies and across functions.”

As nearly 2,000 GCCs and traditional IT services companies hire from the same talent pool, this necessitates innovative acquisition and retention strategies.

“Most people look beyond financials and benefits. They need something more purposeful, something more meaningful,” said Seetha Rani K.P., head HR at Philips Innovation Campus.