India's white-collar sector sees 35% spike in jobs for women

India's white-collar sector has seen a 35 per cent spike in job openings for women, compared to last year, according to a report released on Monday. It is primarily because women, who dropped out of work during the pandemic to become full-time caregivers, have now re-joined the workforce, revealed the report by talent management platform foundit (formerly known as Monster jobs).

In addition, the focused efforts by India Inc such as introducing benefits such as menstrual leaves and childcare, introducing programmes to fight bias in the workplace, allowing flexibility at work, and diversity-focused hiring, among others are helping increase female participation in the workforce.

Minal Anand, CEO & founder, GuruQ, said that women entrepreneurs are creating their own paths. They are excelling in sectors such as e-commerce, healthcare, education and finance, leveraging their multitasking abilities, empathy and communication skills to create successful businesses. 

"They are also leveraging digital platforms to reach out to customers and investors, creating a buzz around their products and services. By creating a more inclusive and equitable ecosystem, women entrepreneurs are proving that diversity is not just a buzzword but also a key driver of innovation and success," she said.

The highest demand share of women in the workforce is currently held by the ITES/BPO (36 per cent) industry, followed by IT/computers-software (35 per cent), and banking/accounting/financial services (22 per cent). Further, Delhi-NCR (21 per cent) is leading with the highest percentage of jobs available for women, followed by Mumbai (15 per cent), Bengaluru (10 per cent), Chennai (9 per cent) and Pune (7 per cent).

Meeta Gutgutia, co-founder, Ferns N Petals, said that women are not just juggling conventional roles but also making a career and shouldering family responsibilities as much as men at the same time. "Women are making their presence felt everywhere. There are multi-disciplinary success stories to flaunt. Liberty comes into a woman’s life when she makes her own decisions."

It is also interesting to note that 6 per cent of the total women workforce on the platform are those who have taken a career break and returned to work. Moreover, freelance roles account for 4 per cent of the total jobs for women, indicating a rise in gig-based opportunities in the white-collar economy.

"There have been many economic success stories of women in the last 50 years, but one of the biggest has been the stride they have made in the labour market. Women leaders worldwide have made headlines for how well they managed to stay afloat in times of great crisis. But there is still work to be done and miles to walk," said Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit (formerly Monster, APAC & ME).

Piyalee Chatterjee Ghosh, founder and director, Myfledge Group of Institutes, said that women startup founders and entrepreneurs have had to face numerous challenges. With more women entering the startup ecosystem, it sets the tone and acts as an encouragement for more women to join the startup workforce. 

"Since women are involved in the decision-making process, there are more inclusive policies being made," Ghosh said.

The report also showed that the job roles with the most significant percentage of women are customer service/ call centre/BPO at 25 per cent. IT roles hold the second largest share at 23 per cent, followed by HR roles at 18 per cent and sales/ business development at 12 per cent.

Across experience levels, women in leadership hold 8 per cent of the total share, indicating a great scope for more growth and inclusivity at workplaces.

"There is a radical need for increasing women participation in the workforce across all sectors if we were to achieve our dream of becoming a 5 trillion-dollar nation," Garisa said. "Companies need to innovate their work modes to ensure flexibility, actively work to foster an inclusive workplace, and ensure that diversity extends beyond their hiring pamphlet," he added.

Ankita Sharma, assistant director - marketing, Edology, said that the power of education for women is not only about imparting knowledge and skills, but also about unlocking their potential. "It is through education that women can gain the confidence and knowledge to take charge of their lives, pursue their dreams and make their voices heard in a world that has long suppressed them," she said.

With Agency Inputs