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India is expected to be a key driver of Asia?Pacific’s rapid corporate learning and development expansion, as enterprises accelerate AI?led upskilling, a report said on Monday. 

The report from Courseplay said the global corporate L&D market is expected to grow from $408 billion in 2025 to $687 billion by 2032, with Asia?Pacific expected to be the fastest?growing regional market at a 9.9 per cent CAGR.

"Rapid enterprise digital transformation, increasing investments in learning and development, and large-scale workforce upskilling initiatives across emerging economies, including India and China, are expected to drive this growth as organisations prepare their workforce for increasingly AI-driven business environments," the report said.

The Retail & FMCG sector is set to become the fastest-growing industry vertical in the global corporate learning market.

The report forecasted the global retail & FMCG sector within the corporate learning & development (L&D) market to grow from $69 billion in 2025 to $131 billion by 2032, registering a 9.7 per cent CAGR, as organisations accelerate investments in workforce capability to keep pace with AI-driven business transformation.

As enterprises continue to accelerate digital transformation and adopt skills-based talent strategies, learning is rapidly evolving beyond a traditional HR function into a strategic capability-building engine that drives productivity, operational agility, innovation and long-term business resilience, the report noted.

AI, advanced analytics, automation, digital commerce and smart supply chain technologies are fundamentally reshaping workforce capability requirements across the FMCG value chain.

Meanwhile, widening digital capability gaps and persistent frontline talent shortages are accelerating enterprise investment in workforce development.

"For years, competitive advantage in the FMCG sector has been built on better products, stronger brands and more efficient supply chains. Going forward, it will increasingly be defined by workforce capability," said Arjun Gupta, Founder & CEO, Courseplay.

Organisations need learning that is continuous, personalised, AI-driven and embedded into the flow of work, enabling employees to build the right skills for the right roles at the right time, he said.

Organisations are increasingly prioritising technology-led and business-critical skills, with digital, AI and data capabilities accounting for 32 per cent of workforce upskilling priorities, followed by supply chain and operational capabilities (24 per cent) and commercial and digital commerce skills (18 per cent).