Experienced Talent in High Demand at India's Healthcare GCCs
New Delhi, October 23: Experienced professionals are becoming the most sought-after workforce in India's healthcare Global Capability Centres. According to a report released on Friday, job openings in the sector are expected to reach 67,000 in 2026, nearly 93 percent higher than before.
The report highlights that mid-level professionals, particularly those with three to twelve years of experience, are driving the bulk of hiring. Employers are prioritising candidates who can take on specialised responsibilities from day one.
AI is central to this shift. The report expects artificial intelligence to be the fastest-growing capability across healthcare GCCs. Its footprint could expand from about 60 percent of centres today to 80-90 percent by 2030, as the technology spreads across clinical, R&D, operations and product workflows.
Kapil Joshi, CEO of a leading IT solutions company, said that appointments have nearly doubled in the last year. Demand for AI and data talent has risen by roughly 150 percent since 2023. 'Even so, the biggest challenge is the scarcity of talent,' he said.
The healthcare GCC ecosystem in India now includes 155 organisations employing about 3.2 lakh professionals. Hiring is moving beyond traditional support functions toward specialised domains such as AI, data analytics, clinical research and regulatory affairs.
The report underlines a widening talent shortage in these niche areas, where the availability of qualified professionals is struggling to match hiring needs.
Demand for data, analytics and AI roles is projected to rise 147.3 percent between 2023 and 2026, from 1,781 to 4,404 positions. Regulatory, quality and compliance demand has more than doubled to 6,147. Meanwhile, roles in R&D, clinical development, biometrics and statistics are set to rise 82.5 percent to 5,421 positions.
Despite a workforce of about 3.2 lakh, specialised talent remains scarce. In data, analytics and AI, and in market access, patient services and analytics, the supply-demand ratio stands at only 1.6:1. The ratio of total workforce to annual demand is 4.8:1.
Because fresher demand has weakened, experienced hires dominate the market. Of the 67,000 openings, about 38,391 are for professionals with three to seven years of experience, while 23,856 are for those with seven to twelve years.
Entry-level hiring demand fell 12.4 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, even as total quarterly hiring demand increased by 6 percent.
Bengaluru and Hyderabad remain the core centres of India's healthcare GCC ecosystem. They host 62.2 percent of the current workforce and 58.4 percent of estimated 2026 hiring demand.
Bengaluru leads, with 1.09 lakh professionals already working there and demand for 23,600 positions. The demand is coming mainly from technology, digital health, AI and medical device engineering.