Building AI-Ready GCC Talent

Category: Talent Date: August 2025 Reading Time: 7 min Sources: Zinnov Salary & Attrition Report 2025, EY India GCC Pulse Survey 2025

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The Talent Challenge

Building AI-ready talent for GCCs is now a strategic imperative. The market for specialised AI skills is competitive, salaries are rising, and the half-life of technical skills is under five years.

The numbers:

• AI/ML roles command 35-55% salary premiums during job transitions (Zinnov 2025)

• Median experience of AI engineers in India: approximately three years

• 81% of GCCs are actively upskilling teams on GenAI (EY GCC Pulse 2025)

  Building the Pipeline

  Hire for Potential, Train for Specificity

  Given skill half-lives of under five years, hiring for adaptability matters more than hiring for specific technical skills. Look for:

• Strong fundamentals in mathematics and computer science

• Problem-solving ability

• Learning agility

• Collaboration skills

  The Reskilling Imperative

  Upskilling offers 25-40% cost savings compared to external hiring (Zinnov 2025). For existing employees:

• Identify reskilling pathways from adjacent roles

• Invest in GenAI training programmes

• Create internal mobility opportunities

  Retaining AI Talent

  Gen Z and Millennials comprise ~90% of the workforce, and ~61% of Gen Z employees desire purpose-driven work (Zinnov 2025). Retention strategy must address more than compensation:

• Meaningful project ownership

• Clear career progression

• Access to cutting-edge technology

• Work-life balance

  The Role of GCC Forum

  GCC Forum's "Talent → Training → Trust" framework addresses:

• Talent pipeline development

• Reskilling programmes

• Leadership development

• Ecosystem connections for internships and placements

  Contact us to discuss talent strategy for your GCC.