Business
If not there, then here: How H-1B squeeze could expand the ground for GCCS – The Times of India
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Even though President Trump’s $10,000 H-1B bomb — if it survives legal challenges — is bound to drive up operational costs for tech firms, Fortune 500 companies and global multinationals are accelerating their bets on India. If companies cannot get Indians to work in the US because of the prohibitive costs, the companies will look to work in India — through GCCs (global capability centres).Positioned as the world’s GCC capital, India offers a powerful trifecta: deep-tech talent, significant cost efficiency, and freedom from crippling visa bottlenecks. With more than 2,600 GCCs already operating, the country has cemented its role as a global engine for innovation, enterprise resilience and business continuity.“Either you can get Indians to work in the US or get work to India,” said Manoj Marwah, financial services GCC sector leader at EY India. “With visa costs going up, the latter is more likely.”In other words, more companies are likely to will bring work and GCCs to India to tap the scale, talent, and cost competitiveness offered by hubs like Delhi NCR and other cities. “The silver lining is that it will stop brain drain from India and the talent will now be available to contribute to the growth of the domestic economy,” Marwah added.Lalit Ahuja, founder of Bengaluruand US-based ANSR, which has helped establish over 150 GCCs in India, said: “With total costs per H-1B worker now exceeding $3,00,000 annually, a senior software architect, for example, can be employed in a GCC to deliver identical output at a fraction of the cost. This change is not about cost anymore — it’s about strategic advantage. Companies that view this as merely a cost increase will struggle, while those who recognise it as an opportunity to accelerate their GCC strategies will thrive.” Ahuja emphasised that GCCs have always been a lever to navigate immigration uncertainties. “The proposed increase in H-1B fee will now accelerate both GCC adoption and scaling-up. Additionally, we can now expect a lot of Indian professionals employed in the US on H-1B visas or considering opportunities in the US to look very favourably at opportunities with GCCs in India.”We could look forward to “Less H-1Bs, more hiring of native talent, increased GCC, and more automation with AI,” felt Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research. “It is a double-edged sword,” said Raman Roy, CMD of Quatrro BPO Solutions. “On the positive side, the expensive H-1B visas will give a boost to more local sourcing and increase the number of GCCs. However, it could impact the transfer of expertise from US to India.”
Two ads promoting British beef and milk have been banned after television presenter and environmental campaigner Chris Packham complained that they misled consumers about the products’ carbon footprints.
Both ads for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Let’s Eat Balanced campaign used the carbon footprint of British beef and milk to promote the products, firstly stating: “British beef not only tastes great, but has a carbon footprint that’s half the global average*.”
The asterisk linked to text that stated: “Full lifecycle emissions of CO2 eq (carbon dioxide equivalent) per kg of beef.”
The ad for milk stated: “British milk not only tastes good, but is also produced to world-class standards, and has a carbon footprint a third lower than the global average.”
Packham complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the ads, and specifically the carbon footprint claims, were misleading as they did not reflect the full environmental impact of British meat and dairy.
The AHDB said the ads’ mention of carbon emissions would be understood in relation to the environmental impact of beef and milk that occurred between the “cradle-to-retail” stages.
But the ASA said the average consumer “being reasonably well-informed, observant and circumspect” would understand the claims to apply beyond the retail stage and include actions such as cooking and wastage.
The ASA said: “While we acknowledged the potential difficulties in producing post-retail emissions data, the claims in the ads suggested those emissions were included and we therefore expected the evidence provided to also include them.
“We therefore concluded that the evidence presented was insufficient to support the full life-cycle claims in the ads, which was how the average consumer was likely to interpret them.
“We reminded AHDB that environmental claims should be based on the full life cycle unless the ad stated otherwise.”
AHDB’s director of communications and market development, Will Jackson, said: “Let’s Eat Balanced is doing what it was designed to do, providing clear, factual, evidence-led information about British food, nutrition and farming standards.
“Since the investigation began, we have conducted independent consumer research which found that the majority of respondents interpreted these adverts as relating to the production phase only, from farm to retail.
“This research provides important insight into consumer understanding and supports our belief that consumers were not misled by the information we shared in these two specific adverts.”
BENGALURU: India’s Gen Z workforce is embracing what experts describe as “portfolio careers” – balancing multiple professional identities and income streams simultaneously. New research from LinkedIn shows that 75% of Gen Z entrepreneurs in India now manage multiple income streams, significantly higher than the 62% among Gen X entrepreneurs. The findings point to a growing preference among younger professionals for flexibility, autonomy and diversified sources of income. “We’re also seeing the rise of the ‘portfolio era’, with more professionals creating multiple income streams and redefining what a career can look like. This shift is making entrepreneurship more accessible than ever before,” said LinkedIn India country manager Kumaresh Pattabiraman.Rather than depending on a single full-time role, many professionals are simultaneously building businesses, freelancing, consulting, creating online content and monetising specialised skills through digital platforms. The trend comes amid a broader rise in entrepreneurial activity in India. LinkedIn recorded a 104% year-on-year increase in members adding “Founder” to their profiles – the highest growth among all global markets.AI is also emerging as a major enabler of this shift. The report found that 85% of Gen Z entrepreneurs consider AI and digital tools important to their business operations.
Sam Altman said Elon Musk tried many times for total control of OpenAI, which he’s now suing.
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