A 36 to 40% AI Talent Gap Is Hitting GCCs. Start With the Engineers You Already Have

Created On: October 14, 2026
India, Newsletter

Modified On: October 14, 2026

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Summary:

GCCs are increasingly moving employees across headquarters, India teams and emerging Tier II and III locations to meet changing business needs. These transfers involve immigration, tax, payroll, relocation and HR coordination, which can lead to delays when different teams work separately. A single mobility owner coordinates specialists, tracks each task and gives HR a clear view of the transfer status. The article explains how clear ownership can make employee transfers easier to manage from approval to the first day at work.

It’s October. A GCC head opens the hiring plan written back in January and sees a wide base of junior engineers with a few senior leads on top. Then headquarters sends over the AI requests, and nearly every open role wants someone with real experience.

The same planning problem is showing up across GCCs in India.

External hiring is slow, experienced talent is scarce, and GCCs are already filling 25 to40% of roles through internal movement. So before adding another external requisition, check which adjacent engineers can move into the role.

The number to remember this month is 36 to 40%. That is Quess Corp’s Q1 FY27 estimate of the gap between AI and data talent supply and demand across GCCs in India. Keep it handy for your next planning meeting.

GCCs are competing hardest for AI, data, platform and cloud talent, with demand concentrated around experienced professionals. That is pushing more centers to look at two options at the same time: moving adjacent engineers into new roles and widening the talent search beyond the main GCC hubs.

What Are GCCs Actually Asking For?

Analysis of more than 5,000 live GCC openings found that nearly two-thirds of new roles require AI skills. Demand is also concentrated in mid-career talent, with professionals with four to 12 years of experience making up 56% of hiring demand.

Why Does the Gap Stay Open?

The gap stays open because demand is moving faster than the available talent pool. Hiring speed adds to it.. A survey found that 58% of GCCs need more than 45 days to fill a critical role (Ceipal). Subcontracting has risen from around 18% of talent requirements three years ago to nearly 26% today. In other words, a growing share of talent needs is being met from outside. That is why GCCs are now looking inward. New hires take an average of 8.69 months to become fully productive, which gives existing employees a clear head start.

Look Inside the GCC Before Opening Another Requisition

An estimated 25 to 40% of GCC roles are now filled through internal movement. Adjacent engineers can be trained into AI and other specialist roles instead of starting every search from zero.

For example, data engineers can move into AI data platform roles, backend engineers into applied AI roles, and cloud engineers into platform engineering. These moves build on skills employees already have instead of starting the hiring process from scratch.

When Does a Second City Make Sense?

Tier II cities are becoming a bigger part of the GCC hiring map. Quess Corp’s Q1 FY27 report puts Tier II cities at around 11 to 13% of GCC hiring demand, after 8 to 10% quarter-over-quarter growth.

A second city works best when the center can identify the roles that can move, appoint senior anchors first and build the local operating structure before hiring at volume. Senior talent pools in these cities are still growing, so moving experienced anchors in first sets the site up well. Built in that order, a second site in Coimbatore, Kochi or Ahmedabad can grow into a stable, self-sufficient team.

Which Route Should You Take First?

Route	What the data says	Watch point
Hire from the open market	AI and data gap at 36 to 40%	Critical roles often take 45+ days
Reskill mid-career engineers	25 to 40% of roles filled internally	Needs a structured training track
Open a Tier II site	Tier II cities at 11–13% of hiring demand	Senior anchors must move first

Most GCCs end up using all three, and the sequence matters. Reskilling usually starts first because the people already work for you. The second site follows once the anchors are named. External hiring then fills the positions that are still left.

An engineering-based GCC, one of our existing clients, ran it in that order. It trained 30 mid-career engineers for AI work at its main hub, moved four senior leads to a new Tier II site first, then hired locally. The site reached its first 40 hires with every critical role filled inside 45 days.

One thing to try this week: Look at your open AI roles. How many could be filled by someone already working inside the GCC? Start with that number.

If the next step is a second city, the workforce plan needs to sit alongside the operating setup. Entity structure, payroll, employment registrations and local compliance should be mapped before hiring begins. IMC can help put that groundwork in place for the new location.

Author Bio:

Poornima J is an experienced business writer specializing in Global Capability Centers (GCCs), international expansion, and cross-border business operations. She works closely with advisory professionals to convert evolving market trends and business developments into practical, decision-oriented content. Her writing focuses on topics including GCC setup, talent strategy, regulatory considerations, and operating models across global markets. Through structured and business-focused content, she supports organizations evaluating growth opportunities and long-term expansion plans.

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A 36 to 40% AI Talent Gap Is Hitting GCCs. Start With the Engineers You Already Have

Summary:

What Are GCCs Actually Asking For?

Why Does the Gap Stay Open?

Look Inside the GCC Before Opening Another Requisition

When Does a Second City Make Sense?

Which Route Should You Take First?

Author Bio:

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