Unlocking Global Pathways and Circular Migration
India’s demographic dividend positions it as the world’s next talent hub. To seize this global opportunity, India must enable smoother and safer pathways for circular migration.
High-income economies are facing an unprecedented labour crisis, with a projected shortage of 45–50 million workers by 2030, up from just 5 million in 2023, and rising to as much as 200–250 million by 2047. This gap—concentrated in just 20 countries including the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea—will span sectors from blue-collar roles such as transport, industry, and care work to service and ICT jobs. At the same time, India’s demographic advantage—a median age under 30 and an annual addition of 10–12 million people to the workforce—positions it uniquely to help fill this demand. Indian workers already send back $130 billion in remittances annually, and the potential exists to double overseas placements to 1–1.5 million workers each year, raising remittances to $300 billion by 2030. The BCG–GATI Foundation report highlights how building fair, dignified, and sustainable pathways for circular migration can transform India into the world’s next global talent hub.
We thank Shriya Sethi, Piyush Doshi, Anisha Grover, Sonali Mahesh, Vridhi Hingorani for their contributions to this article.