AI shift forces skills rethink at India tech hubs, Kimberly-Clark executive says

AI is reshaping hiring and job roles at India's booming offshore centres, with companies placing less emphasis on coding and more on domain and product skills, a senior Kimberly-Clark executive said.

The US-based consumer goods maker is increasingly seeking workers who can apply technology to business problems rather ‌than write code, ⁠as ⁠automation tools begin to handle routine programming tasks, Deena Dayalan, the global head of digital ​operations and cloud transformation, told the Reuters summit in Bengaluru.

Coding alone will not be ​enough, Dayalan said, adding that employees now need domain expertise in areas such as supply chains or retail alongside basic AI literacy.


"Most of the ​coding jobs are given to third-party (providers). We need ⁠product engineers ‌who can work with them and try to apply ​technology to ​get a better solution," said Dayalan, who is also ⁠Kimberly-Clark's India site leader.

The shift comes as global capability ​centres (GCCs) in India move up the value chain from ​back-office support to engineering, data and product roles, creating demand for more specialised talent even as some entry-level positions face pressure.

Dayalan said companies are focusing on hiring experienced workers, typically with more than four years' experience, while entry-level roles could shrink as AI tools automate basic tasks.

At the ‌same time, firms are retraining existing employees, with Kimberly-Clark rolling out company-wide AI training initiatives to build skills across its ​workforce.

The changes ​are also altering hiring ⁠patterns, with firms prioritising "must-have" skills and learning capacity over rigid job descriptions, he said.

India produces about 1.5 million engineering graduates each year, but Dayalan said ​closer industry collaboration with universities will be key to ensure graduates are equipped with both domain and technical skills for emerging roles.

"Little bit of domain knowledge is a must. Raw engineer is not going to help, especially for GCCs," he said.