![India now hosts 2,117 global capability centres employing 2.36 million people, according to the Nasscom-Zinnov GCC Landscape 2026 /><b>By Sebin Jinny</b><br><br>For Indian professionals abroad, the case for returning no longer rests on sentiment alone. As global companies build senior engineering, research and leadership roles in India, the argument for returning back has only strengthened.<br><br><!– PROMOSLOT_M –>But professionals rarely make the decision on the role alone. For most families, the decision is shaped by compensation and how it compares with what they earn abroad, the tax implications of relocating, the choice of schools for their children, the career prospects of a spouse, and the everyday texture of life, from infrastructure and healthcare to commute and civic services. On several of these fronts, India’s offer has visibly improved. On others, it is still being tested.<br><br><!– PROMOSLOT_M –><div class=” article-detail-ad-slot=”” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/135210506.cms?mod=115674″ height=”442″ loading=”eager” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” width=”590″></img></p>
</div>
<p>India’s first global talent story was about Indian capability travelling to the world. The next chapter is about movement in both directions. Indian professionals are returning home, and organisations are bringing in international expertise where it helps them move from investment to execution faster. Making that two-way flow work depends on more than opportunity. It needs clear visa pathways, predictable tax treatment and policies that give people and employers confidence to move.</p>
<p>For much of India’s modern economic journey, its talent narrative has been strikingly consistent: India develops exceptional people, and the world competes for them. Indian engineers, doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs and business leaders have built organisations and capabilities across global markets.</p>
<p>That remains a source of enormous strength. But the conversation is evolving. Companies are not looking at India only as a market or a source of talent. They are increasingly looking to build sophisticated operations here: advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure, research, innovation and regional or global capability.</p>
<p>This creates a sharper question for India: can we become as effective at attracting and deploying critical global expertise as we have been at developing and exporting talent?</p>
<p>This is not a case for substituting India’s strong domestic workforce. It is about bringing in specialist expertise where it helps projects get delivered sooner, passing on knowledge, and leaving local teams stronger than before. Skilled mobility is part of a country’s economic infrastructure. It is how eventually an investment turns into real output.</p>
<h2>India’s opportunity at a glance</h2>
<p>Those numbers matter, but they do not tell the full story. Organisations investing in India rarely struggle with a lack of commitment to the market. More often, the challenge is how quickly they can deploy the small number of specialists needed to operationalise that investment. Whether it is commissioning advanced equipment, transferring a production process, establishing a new function or training the first local team, the success of a project can sometimes hinge on just a handful of individuals.</p>
<p><img alt=]()
Capital can cross borders quickly and technology can be deployed globally. But people remain the catalyst that turns investment into productive capacity, transfers know-how and creates sustainable growth. As India competes for the industries and investments that will shape its next phase of development, attracting the right expertise at the right time will increasingly become a competitive advantage.<br><br>India’s expanding diplomatic relationships and network of Free Trade Agreements create an opportunity to align trade, investment and talent mobility. India’s next competitiveness agenda should therefore recognise skilled mobility not merely as an immigration consideration, but as an economic capability in its own right.<br><br>If this works, people will see it in three places: better jobs closer to home, more options for where their children study, and an easier path back for Indians living abroad.<br><br><i>(The author is Partner at Vialto Partners. Views are personal.)</i> <!– Category Most Read Placement –>
<div id=” captionrendered=”1″ cat_most_read_135210481=”” data-chk-storage=”1″ data-mod-name=”RevCategoryWiseMostRead” data-params=”{"cat_name":"hrtech/talent-acquisition-and-management","pageLabel":"newsDetail"}” data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/135124177.cms?mod=350043″ data-storage-key=”cat_most_read_hrtech/talent-acquisition-and-management” data-target=”cat_most_read_135210481″ height=”442″ loading=”eager” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” width=”590″>
