The report is based on data from the first six months of 2021 and spans hiring trends and projections across more than 1,500 customers, 10 million employees, and 20,000 pin codes
BetterPlace, India’s largest technology platform for blue-collar workforce management, launched its third annual blue-collar report that also covers major trends in employment. The report is based on data from the first six months of 2021 and spans hiring trends and projections across more than 1,500 customers, 10 million employees, and 20,000 pin codes.
The BetterPlace Blue-Collar Report 2021 indicates that, as the economy emerges from the lockdowns, there is likely to be more than a 50% rise in the demand for blue-collar workers across the top four industrialized states – Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Maharashtra is expected to be the largest contributor, accounting for 17% of the demand.
Key takeaways:
- 7 million blue-collar jobs likely to be created in 2021
- Impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on jobs not as severe as the first
- Inter-state migration has reduced
- There is a permanent shift in migration patterns for the driving and delivery segments
- Key trends include digitalisation, simplified labour codes and the rise of the gig economy
Pravin Agarwala, CEO, BetterPlace, said: “Since the onset of the pandemic, the country has witnessed a steep fall in employment. The worst hit was the blue-collar workforce, which struggled to retain jobs or secure opportunities. The BetterPlace Blue-Collar Report 2021 shows that the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on jobs was not as severe as the first with the overall job demand rising marginally. In time, the demand is likely to reach pre-COVID levels, which was 104% of 2019.”
He added: “During the second wave, segments like drivers and security personnel were affected badly. The drivers, facility workers and security segments shrank quarter-on-quarter by 40%, 25% and 40% respectively during the second wave. The delivery segment, meanwhile, grew 175% quarter-on-quarter. Logistics, healthcare, e-commerce and retail are witnessing a hiring pick-up. If there is a third wave, the transportation, facility workers, security and retail segments will be negatively impacted by as much as 25% to 50%. We don’t expect any impact on the delivery segment.”
Technological advancements are also rapidly happening across the blue-collar value chain via digitalization and machine learning, with the sector receiving more than $100 million in funding over the past 12 months. With increased mobile and internet penetration, blue-collar workers are adopting digital tools to find jobs that match their skills and desired locations. The pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of technology by employers looking at large-scale applications to make informed decisions through smarter data analytics.
Other highlights of the report:
- Demand likely to be 137% of 2020’s
- Due to the pandemic, more workers stayed in their states and work gig jobs
- Migration is expected to pick up once the lockdown situation normalises and the IT/ITes segments open up
- Despite the pandemic, the top five migration supply states remain Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Odisha
Source: Business World
