From Intuition to Intelligence: How Data is Transforming IT Hiring

For years, success in the IT industry was measured by employee headcount, treating every new milestone as a symbol of growth. Every recruitment cycle was treated as a victory, and the size of the workforce became an indicator of scale and stability. That definition no longer holds true, hiring today is not measured by how many people are employed, but by the value each individual brings to the organization.

The Shift From Scale To Skill

The paradigm shift from scale to skill is inevitable. By 2030, nearly 70% of the skills required for most jobs are expected to change, according to LinkedIn, underscoring a massive need for upskilling and capability-based hiring. As AI emerges as a defining catalyst, the industry’s focus is shifting from simply expanding headcount to rebuilding its workforce around agility, specialization, and digital fluency. This marks a decisive transition from volume-driven to value-driven hiring, where capability and adaptability define growth.

GCCs As The New Talent Engine

GCCs will be the cornerstone of this transformation. As per EY, India’s GCC market is expected to almost double to USD 110 billion by 2030, expanding from over 1,700 centers to over 2,500. Nearly one in three GCC leaders anticipates a 25-50% increase in workforce by 2030, especially across AI, analytics, product engineering, and cybersecurity roles.

This transformation is being reinforced by leadership intent. CEOs are planning to increase average digital and technology spending by 5-7% annually over the next three years, underscoring how digital capability building has become a boardroom priority, not just an HR agenda.

Data is also redefining the nature of IT roles. Data-driven and consulting-led functions have grown by 20-25% compared to traditional operations-driven ones. These are professionals who can analyze data, design AI-driven strategies, and translate insights into business outcomes. Consulting-led and analytics-focused firms are emerging stronger than process-driven models.

Across the technology ecosystem, this transition is most visible in how GCCs and IT service firms build their talent pipelines. Internal hiring data shows that nearly half of all new roles created over the past 18 months are in new-age technologies, AI, data, cloud, and cybersecurity. GCCs, which make up one-third of India’s tech workforce, now drive nearly 70% of the demand for AI and data talent. In Q2 FY26 alone, GCC hiring rose 5-7%, largely driven by AI, data, cloud, and FinOps roles, with Tier-II hubs like Coimbatore and Kochi recording 8–9% quarterly growth.

Yet, while demand is surging, the supply hasn’t kept pace. Current estimates show a 41% supply gap in AI and data roles, 39% in platform engineering, 25% in cloud, and 18% in cybersecurity, driven by the shortage of production-ready professionals in GenAI, multi-cloud, and zero-trust architecture skills. This shortage has extended the average time to close senior tech positions to 60-90 days, despite a large available candidate pool. By 2027, India will have 2.3 million AI job openings but only 1.2 million qualified professionals to fill them. The challenge lies not in numbers, but in the mismatch between what companies need and what the workforce currently offers. The scarcity of high-end digital skills has become one of the most pressing roadblocks in the hiring cycle.

From Reactive Hiring To Capability Building

This gap is pushing companies to rethink how they prepare for the future. Many have begun adopting predictive hiring models that use analytics to anticipate skill shortages before they occur. AI-enabled recruitment platforms have already reduced screening time by up to 3× through automated shortlisting and workflow integration. The objective is to move from reactive hiring to proactive capability building, proving that becoming AI-ready is not optional but essential for organizational relevance.

In the midst of this evolution, India’s GCCs continue to be the silver lining for the economy. While overall hiring growth has remained in low single digits, newer Centres have sustained demand in emerging technology roles. India now hosts 16% of the world’s AI talent, with AI skill penetration 2.8× the global average. This not only reinforces India’s position as a digital talent powerhouse but also signals how data is not just shaping hiring, it is shaping the very future of IT itself.

AI-enabled tools and analytics are now reshaping how companies identify skill needs, assess gaps, and predict future hiring cycles. Organizations are adopting predictive hiring models to anticipate shortages before they emerge, while AI-powered recruitment platforms have cut screening times by up to 3× through automation and workflow integration. The focus has clearly shifted from reactive hiring to proactive capability building, proving that being AI-ready is no longer optional, it is essential for organizational relevance.

The story of IT hiring today is not one of decline, but of calibration to match new realities. Data has replaced instinct as the foundation of workforce planning. Every hiring decision, every reskilling initiative, and every capability investment is now backed by intelligence and precision. The industry is learning that growth today is not about adding people; it is about amplifying the value each one creates.

By Kapil Joshi, CEO – IT Staffing, Quess Corp

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of CyberMedia or its affiliates.)