GCCs in India need to rethink how they move people inside the organization to stay
competitive. With 1,900 GCCs employing around 1.9 million professionals and growing at 18–
20% every year, keeping people stuck in fixed roles no longer works. This old approach leads
to 13–15% attrition and wasted potential, especially when there are skill gaps of nearly 41% in
areas like AI and cloud.
The smartest GCCs are fixing this by creating internal talent marketplaces. Think of these as
simple digital platforms where employees can find short projects, new roles, or rotations
based on their skills and interests. Instead of hiring from outside, companies move talent
internally, helping people grow while meeting business needs. This approach fills 25–30% of
open roles from within, lowers hiring costs, and keeps employees more engaged.
India’s GCCs are growing fast but talent is still getting stuck. Here’s why internal mobility is
now a competitive advantage.
Internal talent marketplaces aren’t HR experiments they’re cost savers, engagement drivers,
and growth engines.
The build-vs-buy approach is changing how GCCs grow their teams. Instead of rushing to hire
from outside, smart companies first look inside by moving people through project swaps and
cross-team trials. This gives employees a safe way to explore new areas like cybersecurity or
data analytics without the fear of losing their job. Simple skill assessments help match
people to the right work, so talent and business needs stay aligned.
Many mid-sized GCCs are leading this shift. They offer quick lateral moves and global project
exposure, which often matter more than salary alone. For graduates, this means faster career
growth and 15–20% pay increases as they build in-demand skills. For companies, the benefits
are just as clear—internal moves take only 30 days to ramp up, compared to 90 days for new
hires, saving time, money, and effort while keeping teams motivated.
Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. In the short term, GCCs can begin by
rewriting job descriptions around skills, not job titles. This helps attract the right candidates
from day one. Tracking hiring funnels and improving how recruiters talk to candidates also
makes a big difference, because better conversations lead to better role fit and faster hiring.
Over the medium term, companies start building internal learning academies that are
directly linked to real job roles. Instead of generic training, employees learn skills they
actually use at work. At the same time, strong digital employer branding on platforms like
LinkedIn and career portals helps GCCs stand out to graduates and experienced
professionals alike.
The long-term goal is to run the organization fully on skills. This means everyone speaks a
shared skills language—from hiring and learning to promotions and project staffing. Many
leading GCCs follow the “build, borrow, bot” model: build talent internally through
upskilling, borrow niche skills from external experts when needed, and use automation or AI
to handle repetitive work.
For HR startups, this shift opens up a huge opportunity. As GCCs move away from old-style
hiring and focus more on skills-first talent, internal mobility, and continuous learning, they
need modern tools that actually solve real problems. Traditional HR software is no longer
enough. Startups now have the chance to build AI-powered skill mapping tools, internal
project and gig platforms, smart learning systems, and attrition prediction solutions that
help companies make better people decisions.
The scale makes this even more exciting. India already has over 1,900 GCCs employing nearly
2 million professionals, and this number keeps growing. Even if a startup solves just one
challenge—like helping employees move into the right roles faster or identifying skill gaps
early—it can tap into a multi-billion-dollar B2B market. In simple terms, HR startups that
focus on real workforce problems won’t just support HR teams; they’ll help businesses grow
faster, retain talent better, and compete globally.
In simple terms, GCCs in India are changing how they hire, grow, and retain people. Skills now
matter more than job titles, and companies want talent that can learn, adapt, and deliver real
impact. This shift creates better careers for graduates and opens big opportunities for HR
startups and B2B leaders to build smarter, tech-driven solutions. Those who invest in skills,
learning, and internal growth today will shape the future of work tomorrow