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 channeled into gendered roles like telecalling 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," WorkIndiaCo-Founder and CEO Nilesh Dungarwal said.

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

Telecalling 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.