Govt to walk the talk on 70% women in workforce by 2047: Labour Secretary

The government will walk the talk on Viksit Bharat by 2047 with 70% women in the workforce, Union Labour Secretary Sumita Dawra said on Wednesday as she highlighted the importance of mentorship for women entrepreneurs.

Addressing a CII conference on women in the services sector, she also said looking ahead there are sectors that hold great potential for women to participate further. She suggested enhancing education for them under the National Education Policy.

For women entrepreneurs and startups she called for increasing venture capital support.

"For women entrepreneurs, it (venture capital support) is very critical. Mentorship for women to be in leadership and decision-making roles. While we have provision, we also must have mentorship for women where it is needed," she said.

On challenges faced by women in the services sector, she said there could be biases that prevent their entry into the workforce. There could be wage disparities, even in leadership roles, job security concerns and issues like balancing domestic and professional responsibility.

Data shows that about 45% of women cite childcare and domestic commitments as reasons for not participating in the workforce, she noted, adding that in the last six years, there has been an enhanced engagement of women in economic activities.

There is an upward trend of educated women joining the workforce and also a steady increase in earnings despite some challenges in wage disparity.

Today she said, "We see women excelling in the services sector, technology, finance and also in manufacturing. The data tells us that the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for women has doubled in the last six years."

WPR for women aged 15 years and above has risen from 22% in 2017-18 to 40.3% in 2023-24. Similarly, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for women has increased in the same period.

The LFPR for women has increased from 23% to about 42%, she said, pointing out that it is a remarkable transformation in the economic landscape. Also, more self-employed women are joining the workforce.

Data shows that 40% of the total women with post-graduation level education and above were working in 2023-24 compared to about 35% six years ago.

Similarly, more women have completed higher secondary and primary level education.