Blue-collar workforce in India struggling for gender equality: Report

Women in blue-collar jobs in India continue to face systemic hurdles that limit their career growth, as their participation in the workforce remains predominantly in lower-skilled, lower-paid, and less stable roles, a report said on Friday.

According to the report by tech-enabled blue-collar hiring platform WorkIndia, women are increasingly channelled into gendered roles like tele-calling and maid services, while opportunities in fields like field sales, marketing, and back-office jobs are shrinking.

The overall number of job postings for women in India showed a slight uptick in 2023 (0.4%), but in 2024 it witnessed a 5.3% drop, the report said.

"This reduction hints at more than just a statistical anomaly, it underscores a deeper issue in gender equality, particularly in blue-collar jobs. Women's participation in the workforce remains predominantly in lower-skilled, lower-paid, and less stable roles," the report said.

The WorkIndia report is based on an analysis of over 11.46 lakh job postings and applications on the blue-collar hiring platform from 2022-24.

"Despite incremental progress, our data underscores the harsh reality that women in blue-collar jobs continue to face systemic hurdles that limit their career growth. In the battleground for gender equality, WorkIndia is actively empowering individuals by providing a platform where they can attain meaningful livelihoods, regardless of gender," WorkIndia Co-founder and CEO Nilesh Dungarwal said.

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The report further revealed that despite the declining opportunities, certain sectors have seen an uptick in job postings for women.

Tele-calling jobs for women saw a substantial rise of 10.3% in 2023, maintaining a steady growth of 8% in 2024, as well. Similarly, maid jobs witnessed a surge, with postings increasing by 99.8% from 2023 to 2024, said the report.

Meanwhile, job postings for women in the back office plummeted by 30% from 2023 to 2024, and office peon roles dropped by 64.1%, it added.