Davos 2026 | How Kerala’s skilled manpower is boosting its knowledge economy
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Kerala is showcasing its skilled manpower and knowledge economy infrastructure at World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos Photograph: (Others)
At Davos 2026, Kerala is highlighting its skilled, Industry 4.0-ready workforce. The south Indian state is emerging as a GCC hub with its IT parks, AI focus, skill missions, and a plug-and-play talent ecosystem.
Kerala is showcasing its industrial development and investor confidence at the World Economic Forum 2026 being held in Davos on January 19-23. The south Indian state’s greatest asset is its highly skilled, digitally literate workforce. This workforce is being further refined for the Industry 4.0 era, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which involves the digital transformation of manufacturing and industrial processes by integrating smart technologies like AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and Big Data.
Kerala, a hub of global capacity centres
Boosted by its skilled workforce and supportive government policies, Kerala is emerging as a significant hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India. The state is leveraging its strong IT infrastructure: the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, Infopark in Kochi and Cyberpark in Kozhikode. Adding to this is India's first AI township at Infopark Phase 3. Kerala's upcoming dedicated GCC policy is set to attract global firms, positioning cities like Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram as key destinations for innovation and investment.
The Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission to give 2 million jobs as state focuses on niche skill development
Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission (KKEM) is a flagship initiative that aims to provide 2 million jobs in the knowledge sector in the state that now has the highest density of tech-ready professionals in India.
Kerala has already established systems in place for niche skilled development. One of them is the Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), a non‐profit company and nodal agency for facilitating and coordinating various skill development initiatives.
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The other is ASAP Kerala, the Additional Skill Acquisition Programmme, a public-private venture that includes training centres to boost employability by providing industry-relevant skill training. The government initiative bridges the gap between academia and industry through courses, skill parks, internships, and placements for students and youth. The focus is on job-ready skills and tech fields like AI and Machine Learning.
Through the KASE and ASAP Kerala, the state has empanelled international skilling partners for sunrise sectors like Graphene, Green Hydrogen, AI, Fintech, BioTech and renewable energy.
Changing from migrating employees high-value employment, with a ‘plug and play’ talent pool
These initiatives are shifting the state’s labour profile from "outward migration" to "local high-value employment." The idea is to retain talent and boost the State Domestic Product (GSDP) through the service and high-tech manufacturing sectors.
With the initiatives, investors in Kerala will gain access to a "plug-and-play" talent pool. Unlike saturated tech hubs in the rest of India, Kerala offers significantly higher retention rates and lower attrition, reducing the long-term costs of recruitment and retraining.
