Established as a not-for-profit Section 8 company limited by guarantee, GSMAI aims to build trust and coordination across the systems connecting Indian talent with global employment opportunities. Its launch marks a collective effort to bring recruitment, skilling, language training and employer engagement under a coordinated framework.
These sectors have traditionally operated separately. GSMAI brings together 17 organisations across the global skills mobility value chain: Ambe International, Magic Billion, VFS Global, Learnet Skills, Dynamic Staffing Services, 2COMS, Quess Corp, BorderPlus, Virohan, TeamLease Services, TERN Group, Adecco, Randstad India, UDS, CENTA, LeverageEdu and AnywhereJobs. The association aims to strengthen coordination and establish trusted pathways from training to international employment.
The initiative comes as working-age populations in Japan, Germany and Italy shrink and demand for international talent grows. India is positioned to respond to these workforce requirements. For every person aged 50 or above, India has approximately 1.4 people under 18, about five times Japan's ratio and roughly four times Germany's. Realising this demographic advantage, however, requires ethical recruitment, language readiness, recognised qualifications, worker protection and stronger international partnerships.
Shri Vikram Misri, IFS, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, delivered the inaugural keynote address and unveiled the GSMAI logo and website alongside the founding board.
Addressing the future of India's global skills mobility, Shri Vikram Misri said, “India’s skill mobility must not be treated as a one-way exit. We want our people to go abroad, experience, earn well, build networks and acquire technologies and return, or contribute to India from afar.”
The programme also featured a keynote address by Shri Shashank Mani, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development, Parliament of India. Highlighting the scale of global workforce demand and India's professional talent pool, he said, “There is almost a need for 65 to 70 million people globally, and India has a surplus of professionals of the 40 million variety. This mismatch has to be answered by institutions which are bringing them together.”
Ajay Khanna, Founding Chair of GSMAI, emphasised the need for collective industry action to translate global workforce demand into trusted pathways for international employment. He said, “We can treat global skills mobility as a series of transactions, or approach it as a national responsibility. We can remain suppliers, or become partners. GSMAI gives us the opportunity to choose credibility over convenience and institution-building over improvisation.”
Mayank Kumar, CEO of BorderPlus, highlighted the importance of prioritising the quality of international workforce mobility over the volume of placements. “I think most states are coming to terms that it's not a volume game, it's a quality game,” he said.
Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease, stressed the importance of skills and digital credentials in enabling ethical circular mobility. “Skill is the currency that we need. The most important thing is ethical circular mobility and for you to have ethical circular mobility with the skills and with the kind of demand that is there in the world, it has to be digitally credentialised,” she said.
GSMAI's role extends beyond connecting workers with overseas jobs. The association aims to strengthen the systems linking workers seeking rewarding careers, employers looking for the right skills and countries addressing workforce requirements. Improved coordination across recruitment, training, qualification recognition and international partnerships could make mobility more transparent, responsible and mutually beneficial.
The launch also featured a diplomatic and industry dialogue on trusted talent corridors. Embassy representatives from Germany, Italy, Denmark and Switzerland joined industry leaders to discuss workforce demand, employer expectations, qualification recognition, language training, ethical recruitment and pathways connecting local skilling initiatives with overseas employment.
The state-level dimension was reflected in partnerships with the Governments of Maharashtra and Odisha. Smt. Manisha Verma, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, SEEID, Government of Maharashtra, and Shri Bhupendra Singh Poonia, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Government of Odisha, represented their respective state governments. The collaborations aim to connect state-level talent and skilling initiatives with international employment opportunities.
Going forward, GSMAI will focus on ethical recruitment, market intelligence, amplifying the industry's collective voice and connecting recruiters, employers, training providers, governments and international partners. These priorities are intended to strengthen trust and align skills development with international workforce requirements.
Drawing a parallel with India's information technology industry, Arnab Bhattacharya, CEO of GATI Foundation, said the global skills mobility sector had reached a comparable point in its development.
“In 1988, India's IT industry gave itself a name and a voice. It grew into a $315 billion industry employing 5.95 million people. Global skills mobility is at that same moment today. India has the young workforce and the world has the demand. What has been missing is an industry that can speak with one voice,” he said.
GSMAI's long-term ambition is to position India not merely as a source of global talent but as a trusted partner in meeting the world's evolving workforce needs. The association aims to create opportunities for Indian workers, build confidence among global employers and deliver lasting value for countries on both sides of the mobility corridor.
The launch marks the beginning of a collective effort to make global skills mobility more trusted, transparent and accessible, with industry collaboration and international partnerships at the centre of efforts to connect India's talent advantage with global workforce demand.
About GSMAI
The Global Skills Mobility Association of India (GSMAI) is a not-for-profit Section 8 company limited by guarantee established to strengthen India's global skills mobility ecosystem. It brings together organisations across recruitment, skilling, language training and workforce mobility to bridge the gaps between talent, skills and global workforce demand through industry collaboration and trusted international partnerships.
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