Month: September 2023

Companies from Ola, Ashok Leyland, Berger Paints to Bosch and JSW Paints, among other prominent companies, have employed all-women production lines or factories.

Organisations across sectors are now making extra efforts to increase women’s participation in the workforce as they say female participation creates a very productive work environment.

Recently, a few companies announced all-women production line to unlock their potential and create an inclusive work environment. Companies from Ola, Ashok Leyland, Berger Paints to Bosch and JSW Paints, among other prominent companies, have employed all-women production lines or factories.

In March this year, heavy commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland unveiled its all-women production line in Tamil Nadu. Ashok Leyland has been manufacturing commercial vehicles for the past 75 years.

“The industry had largely been a man’s space but as we look at the future, the way the mobility space and vehicles are getting transformed into alternate fuels powered vehicles, advanced telematics or on-board diagnostics, if you don’t have an inclusive workforce then we can’t be a company which is agile and getting itself ready for future,” says Raja Radhakrishnan, President & head of HR, Ashok Leyland.

The company has set up the all-women engine assembly line with 80 women employees at its Hosur plant. Its driver training institutes have also been training a large number of women in heavy commercial vehicle driving.

Everything in the production line is being done by women — right from maintenance to supply to the actual production itself. “This initiative has helped us break the mindset that this is man’s job and factory is man’s world. This led to having an inclusive workforce inside the factory which creates a very productive work environment across the organisation,” Radhakrishnan says, adding that women are very agile and in terms of numbers, they see a very good increase in productivity.

Bosch’s Oragadam plant, established in mid-2015 in Chennai, has a 100% women workforce and has been manufacturing a diverse range of over 60 power tools, including eight specialised types for artisans and tradespeople.

Suresh B R, Country head of human resources, Bosch Limited, says elevating awareness is a crucial step in our journey towards inclusivity.

JSW Paints operates the entire Wood Finishes line at its unit in Vasind, Maharashtra with women employees.

“This semi-automated line is managed completely by women employees from processing to packing the Beauteak range of wood finishes. JSW Paints is in the process of preparing its Colourant line at its other plant in Vijayanagara, Karnataka to be managed by women in the coming quarter,” says A S Sundaresan, Joint MD and CEO of JSW Paints.

JSW Paints also has women in frontline roles and customer relationship officers servicing retail market in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Berger Paints, which commenced production in its Sandila plant in UP earlier this year, has one section — a colorant and Stainer unit – that is operated by women.

“The unit doesn’t require any great physical labor, and the company has recruited ITI-trained girls in the plant and they are doing a fabulous job there,” Berger Paints CEO Abhijit Roy had told TNIE in an earlier interaction.

Firms need to narrow diversity gap

From manufacturing to IT, across sectors companies take steps to narrow diversity gap, but women’s workforce participation is still low in the country. Country’s largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which employs 35.7% of the women workforce, has been seeing higher attrition among its female employees.

In its annual report, TCS chief human resource officer Milind Lakkad said the higher attrition among women in FY23 is a setback to “our efforts to promote gender diversity but we are doubling down on it.”

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the IT sector, women are exiting the workforce at a rate twice that of men. “In recent months, the attrition rate among female employees has surged to levels ranging from 30% to 40%, a stark contrast to the typical sector attrition rate of around 15%. Women in mid-career roles, typically aged between 30 and 40 years are mostly exhibiting this trend. This group faces the challenge of managing a disproportionate share of childcare and domestic responsibilities, leading them to make the difficult decision to leave their jobs,” says Anjali Raghuvanshi, Chief People Officer, Randstad India.

The insistence on returning to the office has proven to be counterproductive to employee retention efforts, resulting in higher turnover rates across all segments of the workforce. This shift is mainly detrimental to women, as they bear a significant burden of domestic caregiving responsibilities. Any alteration in work flexibility models tends to impact women more profoundly, she adds.

As per the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports, the estimated Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for women of age 15 years and above in the country was 30.0%, 32.5% and 32.8% during 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively.

Another important challenge in female workforce participation is pay parity. The wage disparity has been widening between men and women. Also, there are only a few women in mid-senior level positions in organisations.

“It is alarming that men in India hold a substantial 80-82% share of labour income, while women’s earnings remain much lower at 18-20%. Though there is a high pay parity in India, the situation is improving and notably, there has been an augmentation in economic opportunities for women, with an increased representation in roles such as legislators, senior officials, technical workers, and managers,” says Raghuvanshi.

Nirupama VG, founder and managing director, AdAstra Consultants, a women-owned full-suite recruitment solutions firm, quotes an IIM Ahmedabad study that indicates only 5% of top roles in Indian companies are occupied by women.

For a comprehensive decision-making process, boardroom diversity is paramount.

Also, women-led start-ups are very few in India. Nirupama says while 18% have at least one woman leader, as per Nasscom’s report, there’s ample room for growth.

“Presently, there are women-owned funds which are supporting women-owned businesses and that will go a long way to support such organisations,” she adds.

Companies from Ola, Ashok Leyland, Berger Paints to Bosch and JSW Paints, among other prominent companies, have employed all-women production lines or factories.

Organisations across sectors are now making extra efforts to increase women’s participation in the workforce as they say female participation creates a very productive work environment.

Recently, a few companies announced all-women production line to unlock their potential and create an inclusive work environment. Companies from Ola, Ashok Leyland, Berger Paints to Bosch and JSW Paints, among other prominent companies, have employed all-women production lines or factories.

In March this year, heavy commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland unveiled its all-women production line in Tamil Nadu. Ashok Leyland has been manufacturing commercial vehicles for the past 75 years.

“The industry had largely been a man’s space but as we look at the future, the way the mobility space and vehicles are getting transformed into alternate fuels powered vehicles, advanced telematics or on-board diagnostics, if you don’t have an inclusive workforce then we can’t be a company which is agile and getting itself ready for future,” says Raja Radhakrishnan, President & head of HR, Ashok Leyland.

The company has set up the all-women engine assembly line with 80 women employees at its Hosur plant. Its driver training institutes have also been training a large number of women in heavy commercial vehicle driving.

Everything in the production line is being done by women — right from maintenance to supply to the actual production itself. “This initiative has helped us break the mindset that this is man’s job and factory is man’s world. This led to having an inclusive workforce inside the factory which creates a very productive work environment across the organisation,” Radhakrishnan says, adding that women are very agile and in terms of numbers, they see a very good increase in productivity.

Bosch’s Oragadam plant, established in mid-2015 in Chennai, has a 100% women workforce and has been manufacturing a diverse range of over 60 power tools, including eight specialised types for artisans and tradespeople.

Suresh B R, Country head of human resources, Bosch Limited, says elevating awareness is a crucial step in our journey towards inclusivity.

JSW Paints operates the entire Wood Finishes line at its unit in Vasind, Maharashtra with women employees.

“This semi-automated line is managed completely by women employees from processing to packing the Beauteak range of wood finishes. JSW Paints is in the process of preparing its Colourant line at its other plant in Vijayanagara, Karnataka to be managed by women in the coming quarter,” says A S Sundaresan, Joint MD and CEO of JSW Paints.

JSW Paints also has women in frontline roles and customer relationship officers servicing retail market in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Berger Paints, which commenced production in its Sandila plant in UP earlier this year, has one section — a colorant and Stainer unit – that is operated by women.

“The unit doesn’t require any great physical labor, and the company has recruited ITI-trained girls in the plant and they are doing a fabulous job there,” Berger Paints CEO Abhijit Roy had told TNIE in an earlier interaction.

Firms need to narrow diversity gap

From manufacturing to IT, across sectors companies take steps to narrow diversity gap, but women’s workforce participation is still low in the country. Country’s largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which employs 35.7% of the women workforce, has been seeing higher attrition among its female employees.

In its annual report, TCS chief human resource officer Milind Lakkad said the higher attrition among women in FY23 is a setback to “our efforts to promote gender diversity but we are doubling down on it.”

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the IT sector, women are exiting the workforce at a rate twice that of men. “In recent months, the attrition rate among female employees has surged to levels ranging from 30% to 40%, a stark contrast to the typical sector attrition rate of around 15%. Women in mid-career roles, typically aged between 30 and 40 years are mostly exhibiting this trend. This group faces the challenge of managing a disproportionate share of childcare and domestic responsibilities, leading them to make the difficult decision to leave their jobs,” says Anjali Raghuvanshi, Chief People Officer, Randstad India.

The insistence on returning to the office has proven to be counterproductive to employee retention efforts, resulting in higher turnover rates across all segments of the workforce. This shift is mainly detrimental to women, as they bear a significant burden of domestic caregiving responsibilities. Any alteration in work flexibility models tends to impact women more profoundly, she adds.

As per the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports, the estimated Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for women of age 15 years and above in the country was 30.0%, 32.5% and 32.8% during 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively.

Another important challenge in female workforce participation is pay parity. The wage disparity has been widening between men and women. Also, there are only a few women in mid-senior level positions in organisations.

“It is alarming that men in India hold a substantial 80-82% share of labour income, while women’s earnings remain much lower at 18-20%. Though there is a high pay parity in India, the situation is improving and notably, there has been an augmentation in economic opportunities for women, with an increased representation in roles such as legislators, senior officials, technical workers, and managers,” says Raghuvanshi.

Nirupama VG, founder and managing director, AdAstra Consultants, a women-owned full-suite recruitment solutions firm, quotes an IIM Ahmedabad study that indicates only 5% of top roles in Indian companies are occupied by women.

For a comprehensive decision-making process, boardroom diversity is paramount.

Also, women-led start-ups are very few in India. Nirupama says while 18% have at least one woman leader, as per Nasscom’s report, there’s ample room for growth.

“Presently, there are women-owned funds which are supporting women-owned businesses and that will go a long way to support such organisations,” she adds.

2023 का डेटा इस मुद्दे की गंभीरता को उजागर करता है, यह दर्शाता है कि वर्तमान में भारत कारखानों, इंजीनियरिंग इकाइयों, विनिर्माण और संयोजन संयंत्रों, और इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर परियोजनाओं सहित कई विषयों में श्रमिकों की मुख्य कमी का सामना कर रहा है.

हर साल, पूरे देश में, 12 मिलियन भारतीय युवाओं की उम्र रोजगार करने के योग्य होती है. असल में, 2030 तक, काम करने योग्य आयु वर्ग में, भारत में 1.04 बिलियन रोजगार वाले व्यक्तियों के होने का अनुमान है.

जबकि दुनिया के अन्य देश वृद्ध कार्यबल और श्रमिकों की कमी की चुनौतियों से जूझ रहे हैं, भारत विशिष्ट रूप से ऐसी स्थिति का अनुभव कर रहा है जहाँ कार्यबल आपूर्ति, मांग की तुलना में तेजी से बढ़ रही है, जिससे भारत इस प्रकार की प्रवृत्ति वाला एकमात्र देश बन गया है.

हालाँकि, इस विशाल जनसांख्यिकीय भाग के बावजूद, भारत कुशल और अकुशल श्रम की लगातार कमी से जूझ रहा है.

भारत में श्रमिकों की कमी

2023 का डेटा इस मुद्दे की गंभीरता को उजागर करता है, यह दर्शाता है कि वर्तमान में भारत कारखानों, इंजीनियरिंग इकाइयों, विनिर्माण और संयोजन संयंत्रों, और इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर परियोजनाओं सहित कई विषयों में श्रमिकों की मुख्य कमी का सामना कर रहा है.

दरअसल, राष्ट्रीय स्किल विकास निगम (NSDC) की एक रिपोर्ट में अनुमान लगाया गया है कि 2022 में भारत की कुशल श्रम माँग लगभग 103 मिलियन श्रमिकों तक पहुँच जाएगी. हालाँकि, आपूर्ति में 29 मिलियन श्रमिकों की भारी कमी आई.

डिकोडिंग जॉब्स, 2022 में भारतीय उद्योग परिसंघ (CII) की एक रिपोर्ट में अनुमान लगाया गया था कि 2021 की तुलना में, 2022 में टियर -1 शहरों में लौटने वाले प्रवासियों की संख्या में कमी आएगी, जिसके परिणामस्वरूप मांग और आपूर्ति में 68% का महत्वपूर्ण अंतर होगा. रिपोर्ट में नॉन-टियर-1 शहरों में लौटने वाले प्रवासियों में 32% की कमी का भी अनुमान लगाया गया है. रिपोर्ट में प्रवेश स्तर, मध्य स्तर और ऊपरी स्तर के पदों सहित सभी स्तरों पर स्किल्ड प्रोफेशनल की नौकरियों में प्रतिभा की सीमित उपलब्धता पर भी जोर दिया गया है.

यह अंतर, भारत की वैश्विक विनिर्माण केंद्र और आर्थिक महाशक्ति बनने की परिकल्पना को प्राप्त करने में एक महत्वपूर्ण बाधा दिखाता है. इससे पहले कि यह देश के लिए मुसीबत बन जाए, इस द्वंद्व पर तुरंत ध्यान देने की आवश्यकता है.

भारत में श्रम की कमी के कारण और अर्थ:

आमतौर पर, श्रम शब्द उन लोगों के समूह के बारे में बताता है जिन्हें शारीरिक कार्य करने के लिए नियोजित किया जाता है. भारत में, इसमें कम शैक्षणिक योग्यता वाले समूह शामिल हो सकते हैं, जो दैनिक, साप्ताहिक या मासिक वेतन कमाते हैं, जिसमें गारंटीकृत नौकरी सुरक्षा, न्यूनतम वेतन रोजगार, पहचान दस्तावेज, क्रेडिट सुविधाएं, इंश्योरेंस कवरेज, उचित शिक्षा तक पहुंच आदि जैसी आवश्यक चीज़ों में बहुत कम या कोई लाभ नहीं है.

भारत में अंतरराज्यीय प्रवासियों की वार्षिक संख्या 4.5 प्रतिशत की वार्षिक वृद्धि दर के साथ, 5 से 6 मिलियन के बीच होने का अनुमान है. इस आंकड़े में प्रलेखित और गैर-दस्तावेजीकृत दोनों प्रकार के श्रमिक शामिल हैं, जो विभिन्न नियोक्ताओं और विविध उद्योगों के लिए काम करते हुए कई जगहों पर मौसमी प्रवास में लगे हुए हैं.

हालाँकि, यह उल्लेखित किया जाता है कि कोविड-19 महामारी के कारण लगाए गए लॉकडाउन की वजह से श्रमिक भारत के टियर 1 और टियर 2 शहरों को छोड़कर अपने गृहनगर लौट आए, लेकिन सच्चाई यह है कि यह समस्या वर्षों से बढ़ती जा रही है. इस परिदृश्य को करीब से देखने पर चीजें स्पष्ट हो जाएंगी.

प्रवासी कार्यबल: देश की श्रम शक्ति में बड़ी संख्या में भारत के भीतरी इलाकों से आए प्रवासी शामिल हैं. हालाँकि उनका प्राथमिक व्यवसाय कृषि हो सकता है, पर फसलों की कटाई के बीच के समय में जब उन्हें खेती से आय नहीं मिलती है, तो वो आजीविका कमाने के लिए शहरों की तरफ जाते हैं. इन लोगों की अधिक संख्या होने के बावजूद, ये लोग भारत के औपचारिक कार्यबल का हिस्सा नहीं हैं. और यहीं बड़ी समस्या है.

वेतन की समस्या: कम वेतन और आवास, स्वास्थ्य देखभाल, अवकाश और अन्य आवश्यक सुविधाओं का पूरा लाभ न मिलने के कारण, अन्य अनौपचारिक श्रमिकों के साथ-साथ प्रवासी भी शहरी क्षेत्रों में निम्न-गुणवत्ता वाली नौकरियों को स्वीकार नहीं करते हैं. इसके बजाय, वो स्थानीय कम-भुगतान वाले काम के अवसरों जैसे MGNREGS या अन्य आकस्मिक रोजगार विकल्पों में शामिल होना पसंद करते हैं, जो उनकी तत्काल जीवित रहने की जरूरतों को पूरा करते हैं. उन्होंने शहरी गरीबी के स्थान पर ग्रामीण गरीबी को चुना है.

शिक्षा प्रणाली: भारत में मौजूदा शिक्षा प्रणाली अक्सर व्यावहारिक स्किल से अधिक सैद्धांतिक ज्ञान पर जोर देती है. व्यावसायिक प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रम पूर्ण रूप से विकसित नहीं हैं, जिसके कारण उद्योग की आवश्यकताओं और स्नातकों के पास मौजूद स्किल के बीच एक अनुपयुक्त संबंध है. यह कमी विनिर्माण क्षेत्र के लिए उपलब्ध टैलेंट पूल को सीमित करती है.

स्किल के विकास का अभाव: विनिर्माण उद्योग में विशिष्ट स्किल का एक विविध सेट आवश्यक है, जिसमें रोबोटिक्स, ऑटोमेशन, इंजीनियरिंग, प्रोग्रामिंग और विभिन्न अन्य तकनीकी डोमेन में विशेषज्ञता शामिल है. मशीनों और ऑटोमेशन पर बढ़ती निर्भरता के बावजूद, इन प्रौद्योगिकियों को संचालित करने और बनाए रखने में सक्षम श्रमिकों की मांग पूरी नहीं हुई है. दुर्भाग्य से, श्रमिकों को अपडेट रहने और आधुनिक समय की उभरती मांगों के अनुरूप ढलने के लिए आवश्यक प्रशिक्षण का लाभ नहीं मिलता है.

अन्य क्षेत्रों में प्रवासन: ई-कॉमर्स, IT, बिजनेस प्रोसेस आउटसोर्सिंग (BPO), सुरक्षा, खुदरा और हॉस्पिटैलिटी जैसे सेवा-उन्मुख उद्योगों ने व्यक्तियों को विनिर्माण और कम वेतन वाली फैक्ट्री नौकरियों से दूर कर दिया है. ये क्षेत्र अधिक आकर्षक पारिश्रमिक पैकेज और कथित नौकरी स्थिरता प्रदान करते हैं, जिससे विनिर्माण उद्योग के लिए कुशल और अकुशल श्रमिकों को आकर्षित करना चुनौतीपूर्ण हो जाता है.

धारणा और सामाजिक कलंक: विनिर्माण कार्य कभी-कभी निम्न सामाजिक स्थिति और छोटे काम से जुड़े होते हैं. यह धारणा, इस क्षेत्र में विकास और उन्नति की संभावनाओं के बारे में जागरूकता की कमी के साथ मिलकर, रोजगार योग्य व्यक्तियों को विनिर्माण क्षेत्र में करियर बनाने से रोकती है.

निवासी आबादी के कारण तनाव: अक्सर, किसी राज्य के भीतर घरेलू आबादी के कारण तनाव होता है, जिसके परिणामस्वरूप प्रवासी श्रमिकों का बड़े पैमाने पर अपने गृहनगर की सुरक्षा के लिए पलायन होता है.

श्रमिकों की कमी के व्यापक प्रभाव हो सकते हैं. यह घरेलू मांग को पूरा करने और अंतरराष्ट्रीय ऑर्डरों को पूरा करने की भारत की क्षमता में बाधा डाल सकता है, और वैश्विक विनिर्माण केंद्र के रूप में इसकी क्षमता को कमजोर कर सकता है. यह कमी तकनीकी प्रगति को भी सीमित कर सकती है, क्योंकि कुशल श्रमिक, इनोवेशन को प्रबल करने और उन्नत विनिर्माण तकनीकों को लागू करने के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं.

श्रम की कमी को कम करने के उपाय:

कुशल श्रम की कमी को दूर करने के लिए सरकारी निकायों, शैक्षणिक संस्थानों, और उद्योग साझेदारों के बीच सहयोग को शामिल करते हुए एक बहु-आयामी दृष्टिकोण की आवश्यकता है. यहां कुछ संभावित समाधान दिए गए हैं:

बेहतर इंसेंटिव: कारखानों और निर्माण स्थलों के भीतर काम करने की स्थिति को बढ़ाकर, साथ ही उच्च वेतन, आपातकालीन स्वास्थ्य सेवा, औद्योगिक समूहों के पास श्रमिकों के लिए कॉलोनी/होस्टल आदि जैसे लाभों को लागू करके, कंपनियां विनिर्माण क्षेत्र में श्रमिकों को आकर्षित करने और उन्हें रोके रखने की अपनी क्षमता बढ़ा सकती हैं.

पाठ्यक्रम में सुधार: शैक्षणिक संस्थानों को उद्योग-संगत प्रशिक्षण को शामिल करने के लिए अपने पाठ्यक्रम पर पुनर्विचार करना चाहिए. व्यावसायिक प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रमों को मजबूत करना और प्रशिक्षुता को बढ़ावा देना सैद्धांतिक ज्ञान और व्यावहारिक स्किल के बीच के अंतर को कम कर सकता है.

सार्वजनिक-निजी भागीदारी: स्किल विकास पहल को बढ़ावा देने के लिए सरकार और निजी उद्यमों के बीच सहयोग. पाठ्यक्रम बनाने, प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रम, और नौकरी पर प्रशिक्षण में उद्योग की भागीदारी रोजगार क्षमता को बढ़ा सकती है और व्यक्तिगत स्किल को उद्योग की आवश्यकताओं के साथ संरेखित कर सकती है.

जागरूकता और धारणा में बदलाव: विनिर्माण क्षेत्र में अवसरों और विकास संभावनाओं के बारे में छात्रों, अभिभावकों और समाज को शिक्षित करने के लिए पहल की जानी चाहिए. सेना में सैनिकों की भर्ती की मुहिम की तरह, सफलता की कहानियों को समझाने और उद्योग के पेशेवरों और छात्रों के बीच बातचीत के लिए मंच तैयार करने से धारणाओं को बदलने में मदद मिल सकती है.

अतिरिक्त स्किल और नई स्किल: लक्षित प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रमों के माध्यम से, मौजूदा श्रमिकों को खुद को अतिरिक्त स्किल या नई स्किल सीखने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करने से कुशल श्रम की तत्काल मांग को काफी हद तक पूरा करने में मदद मिल सकती है. ऐसे कार्यक्रमों के लिए सरकारी और निजी क्षेत्र का समर्थन श्रमिकों को नई स्किल हासिल करने के लिए प्रोत्साहित कर सकता है.

कार्यबल में अधिक विविधता: इस क्षेत्र में प्रवेश के लिए, महिलाओं को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए अधिक प्रयास करने की आवश्यकता है. निर्माता जो पद ऑफर करते हैं, उसके लिए उन्हें पात्रता मानदंडों की जांच करनी चाहिए और कार्यस्थल पर ऐसे बदलाव करने चाहिए जो विविधता को बढ़ावा देते हैं और रोजगार योग्य व्यक्तियों की एक बड़ी रेंज को नियुक्त करने को सक्षम करते हैं.

जबकि सरकार और उद्योग कल्याणकारी लाभों तक असंगठित श्रमिकों की पहुंच को आसान बनाने के लिए ई-श्रम पोर्टल, और नेशनल डेटाबेस ऑफ़ अनआर्गनाइज़्ड वर्कर्स (NDUW) जैसी पहल पर काम कर रहे हैं, फिर भी क्षेत्रों के अंतर को पूरा के लिए और भी बहुत कुछ करने की ज़रूरत है.

जर्मनी, ऑस्ट्रेलिया, जापान, गल्फ देशों और अन्य देश कम-कुशल भारतीय श्रमिकों का स्वागत कर रहे हैं. रोकथाम के लिए यह जरूरी है कि हम तेजी से कार्रवाई करें सुशिक्षित और कार्य कुशल व्यक्तियों के पलायन की तरह एक और पलायन, हमें मनुष्य और मशीन द्वारा बनाई जा सकने वाली हर चीज़ के लिए दुनिया की पसंदीदा जगह बनने के हमारे सपने से दूर कर देता है.

The lyrics of Beyonce’s track, ‘I Quit My Job’ did not inspire the spate of 50.5 million resignations in America, in 2022, although there was quite a storm on Social Media about people handing in their papers, soon after the song was released. All the same, the song was quite indicative of the times. 2022 witnessed a historic wave of voluntary job departures, dubbed the Great Resignation, the Great Attrition, or the Big Quit. It affected various industries and sectors across the world. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, about 50.5 million people quit their jobs in 2022 in America alone, surpassing its record of 47.8 million in 2021. In the UK, between October and December 2022, there were as many as 1,161,000 job vacancies. A similar trend was noticed in France and Australia. In Japan, almost 900,000 jobs remained unfilled.

A McKinsey survey conducted across six countries in mid-2022 indicated that 40% of workers were dissatisfied with their jobs and were ready to quit. This percentage, in India, was over 66%.

The good news and the bad news

The heartening part of this en masse resignation was that not everyone who quit became jobless. More than half of those who quit their jobs found employment that suited their professional and personal goals better.

The worrisome part of this story is the emergence of a new phenomenon coined the Quiet Quitting.

Decoding the Great Resignation and the Quiet Quitting

To decode the terms, the Great Resignation refers to the global, voluntary, mass resignation of employees from the workforce.
Quiet Quitting, on the other hand, is about rejecting the premise that work must be the top-most priority in one’s life and one reduces one’s engagement to the bare minimum needed, not to get fired.

Factors that led to the present job churn

One of the major factors that triggered the Great Resignation was the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted normal functioning and forced many workers to rethink their priorities. It exposed the vulnerabilities and inequalities, especially for low-income and essential workers who faced higher risks of infection, inadequate protection and insufficient compensation. Many employees experienced wage cuts, increased work hours and responsibilities, job insecurities, personal loss, burnout, stress and anxiety during and after the pandemic.

Another factor was the availability of alternative opportunities and options for workers who wanted a change in career or lifestyle. Employees also began to choose non-traditional roles such as part-time work, consultancies, gig work or entrepreneurship over traditional employment. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work, which expanded the geographic scope and flexibility of work for many employees. Remote work enabled them to save time and money on commuting. As a result, they found that they could balance their work and personal lives better.

In addition to the above, the high demand for labour in some sectors, such as technology, healthcare and e-tail, created more job openings and higher wages for workers who were willing to switch jobs. In short, employees wanted more than the usual compensation, better job advancement incentives and more soul from the spaces where they spent the most part of their day.

Impact on industry

The Great Resignation had significant impacts on various industries and sectors that faced labour shortages and challenges in retaining and attracting talent. Of these, the most affected industries were: Healthcare: The healthcare sector faced an extreme increase in demand due to COVID-19, but also suffered from a high turnover rate of 18% among healthcare workers who resigned due to pandemic stressors, low pay, and lack of resources. Customer Support: The customer support sector experienced a greater demand for online services due to the pandemic, but also struggled to retain workers who quit due to low wages, poor working conditions, and high stress levels. Education: The education sector faced not only an educator shortage but also general staffing issues in all departments of schools. Teachers and other school personnel quit due to unpredictable and sudden switches to remote learning, the high risk of coronavirus exposure, and a lack of resources. Travel: The travel industry saw many workers not return to their jobs after being furloughed or laid off during the pandemic. Airlines faced difficulties in hiring and training new staff, resulting in flight cancellations and delays8. Manufacturing: The manufacturing sector faced labour as well as supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. Some of the most affected manufacturing sectors were automakers, food processors, furniture makers, textile producers, and metal fabricators.

The Great Resignation and the Quiet Quitting have exposed the changing dynamics and expectations of the workforce in the post-pandemic era. It has thrown up significant challenges and opportunities for employers to adapt to present-day realities and demands of the labour market. The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting demand that employers must understand why people quit their jobs and they ought to take adequate measures to mitigate such occurrences in the future.