Indian GCCs 90% confident of global leadership through 2030, report finds
Synopsis
Nine in ten Indian GCC leaders back themselves to hold global leadership through 2030 — but a PwC India-FICCI survey of 200 executives reveals a stark contradiction: AI literacy among GCC leadership stands at just 27 per cent, and most organisations are spending far too little on reskilling to close the gap before the decade ends.
Key Takeaways
Nearly 90 per cent of India's GCC leaders are confident of retaining global leadership through 2030 , per a PwC India and FICCI report.
At least 72 per cent of GCCs need to reskill or upskill more than 40 per cent of their workforce to maximise value.
Leadership AI literacy averages just 27 per cent ; over 90 per cent of GCCs report fewer than 40 per cent of leaders are AI-ready for strategic decisions.
Most GCCs currently spend only 3–5 per cent of operating budgets on talent development; 94 per cent say it must rise to at least 6 per cent .
57 per cent of leaders want AI modules embedded in engineering and management curricula; 51 per cent seek government co-funding for reskilling.
Nearly 90 per cent of India's Global Capability Centre (GCC) leaders are confident of retaining global leadership through 2030, even as unresolved talent and skill gaps in AI and sector-specific knowledge continue to pose structural challenges, according to a joint report released on Wednesday, 12 August by PwC India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
The findings, drawn from a survey of 200 senior GCC executives across eight industries, paint a picture of sector-wide ambition tempered by a widening readiness gap — particularly at the leadership level.
The Skilling Deficit
At least 72 per cent of GCCs surveyed must reskill or upskill more than 40 per cent of their workforce to maximise business value, the report found. Most GCCs currently allocate just 3–5 per cent of operating budgets to talent development — a figure widely seen as insufficient.
Nearly 94 per cent of respondents said skilling investment must rise to at least 6 per cent of operating budgets, and more than a quarter expect spending to exceed 8 per cent. Reskilling needs are steepest in regulated, knowledge-intensive sectors such as energy, life sciences, and healthcare, though even lower-need sectors — BFSI, TMT, and manufacturing — sit close to 50 per cent reskilling requirements.
Leadership AI Literacy: A Critical Gap
Leadership AI literacy averaged just 27 per cent across surveyed GCCs, with over 90 per cent of organisations reporting that 40 per cent or fewer of their leadership teams possess sufficient AI literacy for strategic decision-making.
Raghav Narsalay, Partner and Leader – Research and Insight Hub, PwC India, said: 'AI aspirations are outpacing leadership preparedness, and the gap between hiring talent and making it truly AI-ready needs to be bridged through deliberate, structured, and sector-relevant skilling pathways.'
This comes amid a broader global race to embed AI capabilities into enterprise operations, where India's GCCs — now numbering over 1,700 — are increasingly positioned as strategic hubs rather than back-office support units.
What GCC Leaders Are Asking For
Nearly 57 per cent of leaders called for AI and digital modules to be embedded directly into engineering and management curricula. A further 51 per cent recommended government co-funding of GCC reskilling programmes — a signal that industry is looking beyond internal budgets to close the gap at scale.
Rajesh Ojha, Partner and Leader – GCC Market Segment, PwC India, noted that India's GCC story is 'at an inflection point,' with GCCs increasingly becoming 'the enterprise nerve centre where strategic decision-making, digital innovation, and AI-led transformation converge to create global business impact.' Ojha added that sustaining this shift will require 'a fundamental reimagining of workflows, leadership models, and skilling ecosystems.'
What Comes Next
The report's recommendations place equal responsibility on GCC leadership, academic institutions, and the government to co-create structured skilling pathways. With India's GCC sector on track to anchor high-value global functions, the ability to close the AI-readiness gap before 2030 may determine whether the sector's confidence translates into durable competitive advantage.
Point of View
Not an asset. India's GCC sector has grown impressively in headcount and scope, but the report quietly surfaces a structural problem: skilling budgets have not kept pace with ambition. The call for government co-funding is telling — it suggests that even well-resourced multinationals do not see internal budgets as adequate for the scale of reskilling required. If the sector cannot move the AI-readiness needle before 2030, the confidence of today's leaders risks looking like the optimism of 2015's PLI era — real in intent, but short on verifiable outcomes.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the PwC India-FICCI GCC report say about India's global leadership?
The report, based on a survey of 200 senior GCC executives across eight industries, found that nearly 90 per cent of India's GCC leaders are confident of retaining global leadership through 2030. However, the same leaders acknowledged significant unresolved gaps in AI skills and sector-specific knowledge.
What is the AI literacy situation among GCC leaders in India?
Leadership AI literacy stands at just 27 per cent on average across surveyed GCCs. Over 90 per cent of organisations reported that 40 per cent or fewer of their leadership teams have sufficient AI literacy for strategic decision-making — a gap the report identifies as a critical risk.
How much are Indian GCCs currently spending on reskilling?
Most GCCs currently allocate 3–5 per cent of their operating budgets to talent development. Nearly 94 per cent of respondents said this must rise to at least 6 per cent, with more than a quarter expecting spending to exceed 8 per cent.
Which sectors face the steepest reskilling needs?
Reskilling needs are highest in regulated, knowledge-intensive sectors including energy, life sciences, and healthcare. Even the lowest-need sectors — BFSI, TMT, and manufacturing — require close to 50 per cent of their workforce to be reskilled or upskilled.
What policy changes are GCC leaders recommending?
57 per cent of GCC leaders called for AI and digital modules to be embedded into engineering and management curricula. 51 per cent recommended government co-funding of GCC reskilling programmes to bridge the gap at scale.
