Gen Z stands at the heart of India’s big manufacturing pivot

India’s next wave of growth in electronics and semiconductor manufacturing could well be powered by Generation Z, the digital-native cohort bringing fresh thinking, technical fluency, and an appetite for innovation to factory floors and design labs alike, executives told ET.

Industry leaders say this demographic shift could transform India from a low-cost assembly base into a global hub for invention and high-value manufacturing.

“As India aims high in electronics manufacturing, we want to see the country leap from Make in India to Invent in India,” said Avi Avula, president, Applied Materials India. “Gen Z will be at the heart of this transformation.”


“Gen Z’s comfort with automation, AI, and advanced tools positions them perfectly for smart manufacturing,” Avula said. “They’re not just job seekers, they’re digital natives who question norms and are confident about leading the world.”

That conviction is shared by Raja Manickam, chief executive, of iVP Semiconductor, a fabless power components startup for EVs and renewable energy.

Also Read| Run, rave, repeat! Wellness turns social for Gen Z

He believes India’s young engineers will bridge critical capability gaps in materials science, chip packaging, and supply chains.

“To position India as a semiconductor leader, we must nurture Gen Z professionals who are hands-on tinkerers driven by curiosity,” Manickam said. “Flexibility and bottom-up management work better than traditional hierarchies.”

Srinivasa Kakumanu, chief executive, MosChip Technologies, said that Gen Z will soon comprise a major share of India’s manufacturing workforce. “With projections of 12 million jobs by 2027 in electronics and semiconductors, Gen Z’s fluency in automation and connected systems gives India a competitive edge,” he said.

MosChip has launched the MosChip Academy of Silicon Systems & Technologies to strengthen India’s chip-design talent pipeline.

At Gujarat-based Aimtron Electronics, this transition is visible on factory floors. The company has evolved from PCB assembly to high-value precision engineering. “Gen Z are becoming a driving force in electronics manufacturing,” said Mukesh Vasani, chairman, Aimtron Electronics. “Their digital fluency is accelerating the shift into automation, AI, and precision engineering.”

Also Read| Swipe, save, invest: Banking on the move, the Zoomer way

Aimtron’s average employee age is 32, with less than 2% attrition. Early-career engineers form a growing share of its 200-member team, supporting global OEMs across EVs, telecom, aerospace, defence, and AI systems.

The Aimtron Foundation also runs skilling and training programmes to create an industry-ready talent pool.

The electronics manufacturing services sector, too, is riding this generational wave. “Over 50% of new shop-floor hires in the next two years will come from Gen Z,” said Sonam Motwani, chief executive, Karkhana.io, a Mumbai-based contract manufacturing platform where Gen Z already makes up about 45% of staff.

Women now constitute 60–65% of EMS workforces and are projected to reach 35% in semiconductors by 2030. “Gen Z values flexibility, mentorship, and purposeful work,” Motwani said. “Companies reinventing rigid factory cultures will win the talent race.”

As Avula of Applied Materials said, “India’s demographic dividend, coupled with Gen Z’s skills, offers a unique opportunity to move beyond low-cost manufacturing toward high-value invention.”