Women comprise 3%-12% of India’s manufacturing scene. But Covid is setting in motion a major change.
Manufacturing companies are increasingly looking specifically for female employees to run their shop floors as millions of vacancies appear due to the Covid-19 pandemic-induced reverse migration of outstation workers, with some companies wanting women to comprise over two-thirds of their workforce.
Staffing companies say that as their clients start the second and third shifts at their manufacturing plants, they are requesting to fill the empty positions specifically with female employees. This is especially true for mobile and other electronics manufacturing units and women could easily represents two-thirds of the workforce in these organisations in the coming days, according to Lohit Bhatia, president for workforce management at the country’s largest staffing company Quess Corp.
Approximately 20-25 million individuals have reverse-migrated from their places of work since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, according to Bhatia.
As companies look to fill these vacancies with local talent, it could generate about 5 million incremental jobs for women, estimates Navneet Singh, chief executive, Avsar HR Services.
Several apparel makers in Tiruppur, Baddi and Una are looking for only female workers, Singh said. A large Tiruppur-based apparel manufacturer wants at least 80% women in its workforce. Earlier, the number stood at 30-40%, as majority of the workforce was comprised of male migrant workers.
Source: Economic Times
